Commission welcomes innovation partnerships

The European Commission has welcomed the final adoption by the Council of the European Union of nine public private and public-public research partnerships worth up to €22bn.

Most of the investment will go to five public private partnerships in innovative medicines, aeronautics, bio-based industries, fuel cells and hydrogen, and electronics. The decision paves the way to launch these partnerships, with first calls for projects expected on 9 July.

The Council of the European Union is also expected to formally adopt related partnerships on rail transport and air traffic management, namely the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research (SESAR), worth an additional €2bn.

European Commission Vice-President responsible for Mobility and Transport, Siim Kallas, said: “Extending SESAR is crucial to continue improving air traffic management. The Single European Sky and its technology arm SESAR go hand in hand to raise the performance of the sector, its efficiency and make it fit for the future. With an EU contribution of €585m for the next call, we are on track to reach the objectives set in Horizon 2020 and the 2011 Transport White Paper”.

Over the next seven years, the European Commission’s contribution of €9bn to the Innovation Investment Package will unlock an equivalent investment from the private sector and €4bn from EU member states. The Commission’s funding will come from Horizon 2020.