OPEN LETTER: Cleantech R&I must sit at the heart of the EU’s Competitiveness Agenda

With Member States meeting this week to discuss the progress and future of EU R&I funding at the Competitiveness Council a group of civil society, research and cleantech organisations, including I4CE, have today issued an open letter urging EU policymakers to put clean technology research and innovation (R&I) at the centre of the bloc’s long-term competitiveness strategy.

The letter, addressed to key figures in the European Commission, the European Parliament, and national permanent representations to the EU, comes at a pivotal moment in the debate over the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the future of its flagship research programme, Horizon Europe.

With the debate on the integration of the Framework Programme into the proposed Competitiveness Fund in full swing, the signatories call for policymakers to keep one thing in mind: Europe’s long-term excellence in research and innovation depends on the availability of a powerful, stable, and predictable R&I framework and funding toolbox to support the innovators building Europe’s future.

The letter outlines 8 key principles for placing cleantech R&I at the core of FP10:

• Boost the EU R&I budget to €220 billion – Chronic oversubscription in Horizon Europe has left too many high-quality projects unfunded. A significantly expanded budget, ringfenced for R&I and with a dedicated cleantech stream, is essential for long-term competitiveness.

• Bridge the cleantech “valley of death” – More funding is needed for demonstration and scale-up stages. EU and national funds must work together, including enabling Member States to top up scale-up projects via cohesion funds.

• Prioritise strategic technologies – R&I should target high-impact technologies that support EU climate and industrial goals—such as innovative renewables, energy storage, grid technologies, low-carbon construction, and carbon removal.

• Protect and grow the European Innovation Council (EIC) – The EIC has proven effective at leveraging private investment into cleantech. Its independence must be preserved and its budget increased to support scale-up success.

• Strengthen public-private partnerships – These are key to aligning research with industrial needs. The next Framework Programme should expand their use, especially in underfunded cleantech sectors.

• Support collaborative R&I under Pillar II – Cross-border projects under Pillar II drive real European added value. At least 50% of FP10’s budget should continue to fund this collaborative research.

• Use innovation procurement to create lead markets – The EU and Member States should embrace procurement as a tool to bring breakthrough technologies to market faster, in line with the NZIA and Heitor report.

• Align regulation with innovation – Regulatory sandboxes and innovation-linked tender criteria should be deployed to help new technologies scale and shape future EU industrial policy.