Europe 2020 and open innovation in H2020
Europe 2020 will provide the key building blocks to help return the EU to sustainable economic growth and international competitiveness. The plan will be implemented by the EU’s institutions, member states, local government and civil society through seven flagship initiatives, notably the Innovation Union; the Digital Agenda for Europe; Youth on the Move; ‘A resource-efficient Europe’; ‘An industrial policy for the globalisation era’; ‘An agenda for new skills and jobs’; and the European Platform Against Poverty.
The financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union is Horizon 2020, a single programme for research and innovation funding and the EU’s replacement for FP7. Complementing Horizon 2020 will be the development of the European Research Area (ERA).
Speaking to delegates in a video message at the ‘Open Innovation 2.0’ conference held at Dublin Castle in Ireland, and attended by Pan European Networks, the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, outlined the key difficulties facing Europe today and the importance of Europe 2020.
“Today, Europe is dealing with a multi-faceted, complex challenge that has financial, economic and societal dimensions. To emerge from the crisis, we need a bold and comprehensive response.
“The Europe 2020 strategy provides the right framework. It is a holistic, targeted strategy for growth and jobs. One of its key objectives is to address industry directly, a fresh take on industrial policy and new approach to innovation. Europe 2020 recognises that we need to continue to deliver the structural reforms that will underpin the future sustainability of our economies and social models. But at the same time, it seeks to gear up all the drivers for short and medium-term growth in Europe. With Europe’s seven-year growth budget, hopefully to be agreed soon, we shall have the financial incentives to support delivery on the Europe 2020 objectives,” he said.
The next framework programme forms a key part of Europe 2020 and will focus on crossing the ‘valley of death’ as well as creating the ERA. However, according to the Open Innovation Strategy and Policy Group, the organisers of the ‘Open Innovation 2.0’ conference, it is the development of a European innovation ecosystem that will help return the EU to sustained economic growth.
“The Horizon 2020 funding programme will represent a major step forward by bringing together, in one single programme, all research and innovation actions right through to commercialisation. Its overall budget will be 30% more than the current FP7. One key aim is to deliver effective and simple public-private solutions to finance innovation and help our entrepreneurs and businesses make the leap from idea to market.”
Barroso continued: “Funding, crucial though it is, is only one part of the story. We need to create the right ecosystem for innovation by cutting red tape, reducing obstacles in transactions and improving infrastructure. We are working to create an ERA – an internal market for new, innovative products and services as well as increased use of innovative public procurement.
“We want to speed up industrial innovation by ensuring the timely deployment and commercialisation of key technologies and we are striving to ensure that European firms benefit from globalisation and have access to new markets through ambitions and deep trade agreements, such as the one we are now preparing to negotiate with the United States.”
The ‘Open Innovation 2.0’ conference focuses on agreeing an action plan to help achieve a sustainable economy and society and through this, a quadruple helix innovation ecosystem. Horizon 2020 will also encourage the development of more public-private partnerships to foster innovation between the state and business sectors. A number of European Innovation Partnerships will also be set up, which will facilitate co-operation and knowledge sharing between national and regional stakeholders in the public and private sectors.
“The open innovation approach fits very well into this effort to bring Europe back to sustained economic activity and prosperity. Like Europe 2020, open innovation thrives on the involvement of all stakeholders – in government, industry, academia and citizens. This is why we are putting forward public-private partnerships for innovation and European Innovation Partnerships on issues such as healthy ageing and raw materials,” the President explained.
Horizon 2020 will not only be the EU’s single research and innovation framework programme to encourage international collaboration within and outside the EU, it will also be a cornerstone in transforming the European economy, developing new ideas and increasing the continent’s international competitiveness.
Barroso concluded: “By working together, open innovation can unleash Europe’s creativity in providing new, user-driven products and services. It can make a real difference in terms of generating new economic revenue, but can also help shape our societies in a new and positive way.”
President José Manuel Barroso
