09 Sep 2026
Commission proposes new European Innovation Act to speed up the path from research to market
On 9 September, the Commission proposed a new European Innovation Act to help Europe's most innovative ideas be developed, financed and scaled up in Europe. The proposal aims at strengthening the EU's long-term competitiveness, prosperity and technological sovereignty by making it easier for innovative European companies to grow across borders and compete globally.
The proposal focuses on addressing two main challenges holding back innovation in Europe:
- Help innovative companies access financing. Many startups and scaleups have innovative ideas, patents and other intellectual property, but these assets are often difficult to value, which makes it harder to attract investment. The European Innovation Act will promote a common EU framework to value intellectual property. It will also create a digital marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of intellectual property and offer expert support to help companies bring their ideas to the market.
- Establish a common procedure for research and development (R&D) procurement, providing greater legal certainty and helping new technologies reach the market faster, including technologies that can help address shared societal challenges, such as health, education and clean mobility. Make it easier for public buyers from different Member States to jointly carry out R&D procurements.
In parallel with the European Innovation Act, the Commission published a specific proposal on regulatory sandboxes to help innovators accelerate the transformation of innovative ideas into market solutions. Regulatory sandboxes enable companies, researchers and public authorities to test new products, services or technologies for a limited time in a controlled setting and under the supervision of regulators. This helps innovators understand how rules apply in practice, while giving authorities an understanding of how rules may need to be reviewed.
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