Accelerate the green/digital transition of Europe’s key industrial ecosystems

The action will develop and put in place key R&I policy tools which connect R&I and industrial innovation strategies. Both the green and digital transitions call for increased R&I investments, notably by industry, and timely scale-up and deployment of results by industry, including SMEs and start-ups.

The EU develops world-leading research but too often fails in the scale-up and market commercialisation of its most relevant R&I results. In order to improve this, there is a need to focus public investments of key R&I sectors, stimulate private R&I investments and address key challenges for uptake and roll-out. The European Green Deal is the EU’s growth strategy and “roadmap for action” to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, but it is also a long-term vision for a greener, fairer, more resilient society with its ambition for significant greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2030 and promoting efficient and sustainable uses of resources in the EU. It clearly calls for being faster than “business as usual” in order to ensure timely achievement of its goals for climate, environmental protection and the circular economy, combined with the objective of global leadership, technological sovereignty and competitive sustainability. Digitisation and the use of digital technologies by industry needs to accelerate to match the ambitions of the Digital Compass [COM(2021) 118 final] and to maintain competitiveness vis-à-vis non-European market leaders in the digital industrial eco-systems and leaders in R&I investments.

The needed tools and strategies require strategic and joint engagement by policy-makers, industry and R&I stakeholders. Cooperation among universities and with the industrial ecosystems is mutually beneficial in this respect, with the higher education sector supporting skills development for industry and the business sector.

ERA Action 12 has a strategic focus on the role of industry and industrial R&I for the twin transitions and increased resilience. This exposé outlines the implementation of this specific action through the set of activities and objectives, as defined in the ERA Policy Agenda.

The action will involve participants from Member States, Associated Countries, and stakeholders including industry, business associations, research performing organisations, EU technology infrastructures, research infrastructures and universities, through their membership in the ERA Forum, sub-group for action 12 and consultations in the context of this action.

It is important that adequate links are established with representatives of the Industrial Forum, Horizon Europe partnerships and EU Missions.

The ERA Forum sub-group of action 12 will establish a bridge with the European Innovation Ecosystems through the EIC Forum Sub-group on data, which will be used as platforms for exchange of best practices and consultation.