POSITION | RESEARCH & INNOVATION | UPCOMING INITIATIVES
Recommendations on upcoming R&I-Initiatives
August 1, 2025 European Innovation Act The European Innovation Act is an important initiative to strengthen Europe’s innovation capabilities and sustainably secure the competitiveness of the European economy. It is crucial that the Act creates better conditions for genuine innovation and provides a reliable, business-friendly framework. In light of the further increasing innovation gap between Europe and its international partners and competitors, as well as ongoing geopolitical challenges, the European Innovation Act must make a tangible contribution to the development of a dynamic innovation and investment ecosystem in Europe. From the industry's perspective, it is essential to systematically address key growth barriers. These include reducing bureaucracy, bridging the innovation gap, improving access to financing – particularly venture capital – attracting international talent, expanding high-performance infrastructures, lowering high energy costs, and improving the taxation of corporates. Existing initiatives, such as the Omnibus initiative, should be leveraged to systematically remove bureaucratic hurdles and streamline and shorten administrative processes. We recommend that the European Commission develops an innovation cost assessment that is included in any regulation roll-out. The assessment should provide evidence that the regulatory costs do not surpass the costs-benefit of developing a certain technology such as AI chips. When implementing such an assessment, it must be ensured that this does not lead to more bureaucracy and less agility for companies. The European Innovation Act should be closely aligned with all relevant acts, strategies and programmes and must not include additional reporting obligations. It should cover the entire innovation chain, from lab to fab and from Start-ups to large innovative enterprises. Ambitious yet achievable goals must be set to provide clear guidance. Collaboration between Start-ups and established companies creates valuable opportunities for knowledge sharing, market access, and resource pooling. The European Commission should find a balance between appropriate support for such partnerships and over-dependency. Emphasis should be placed on the promotion of key technologies and ensure adequate funding. The definition of the key technologies as well as their prioritizing should be engaged in close discussion with respective stakeholders from academia and industry in a transparent and accessible way. The Act must demonstrate the courage to identify technologies and core areas in which Europe can cement its
Lukas Martin | Digitalisation and Innovation | T: +3227921017 | l.martin@bdi.eu | www.bdi.eu