€4bn towards electronics from IIIP

The European Commission, EU member states, and industry will be brought together in the Electronic Components & Systems for European Leadership Joint Technology Initiative (ECSEL JTI). It is part of the €22bn Innovation Investment Package adopted by the Council of the European Union.

The EU will invest €1.18bn in the public private partnership through Horizon 2020. Participating member states aim to match this funding, whilst industrial partners will contribute more than €1.65bn. The first calls launched under the ECSEL JTI are expected to be published in July 2014.

The ECSEL JTI aims to secure the supply of key digital technologies supporting innovation in all major sectors of the economy and align strategies with member states to attract private investment and avoid duplication of efforts.

It will also support innovative SMEs and strengthen clusters in promising new areas, bringing together the most knowledgeable researchers in Europe to develop innovative solutions – notably to increase energy efficiency. The JTI will also encourage industry to set a long-term strategic research and innovation agenda in the area of electronic components and systems.

In addition to the EU, ECSEL JTI partners include EPoSS, AENEAS and ARTEMISIA, three private industrial associations which represent the stakeholders. Stakeholders include SMEs, large enterprises and research and higher education organisations from the areas of micro and nanoelectronics, smart integrated systems and embedded/cyber-physical systems.

The ECSEL JTI is a key action of the May 2013 European Strategy for micro- and nanoelectronics components and systems. The new public private partnership merges the ARTEMIS initiative on embedded systems and the ENIAC initiative on nanoelectronics, both set up in 2008. It also incorporates research and innovation on smart systems.