EAIC Responds to Mario Draghi’s Report on European Competitiveness

The European Association of Innovation Consultants (EAIC) views Mario Draghi's recent report on European competitiveness as a crucial step toward bolstering Europe's innovation capacity.

Several of the report's recommendations, particularly those dealing with EU research and innovation programmes, align with our recent paper on the future of FP10, where we offer suggestions on how to implement them, drawing from our members' extensive experience with research and innovation projects across Europe.

Draghi’s report advocates for a streamlined Framework Programme that is more outcome-oriented and efficient. In our position paper on FP10, we provide specific recommendations to achieve these goals, such as simplifying application processes, refining evaluator selection, and enhancing the overall transparency and effectiveness of the programme.

We also fully support Draghi's call for increased funding for disruptive innovation and early-stage startups. EAIC has consistently emphasized the need for transparent and accessible funding mechanisms. We urge the European Commission to reinforce its support for early-stage, market-oriented deep tech by making more funding available through grants and equity-based instruments in the next Framework Programme, ensuring that Europe remains at the forefront of high-risk, high-reward innovation.
Furthermore, we endorse the proposal to double the budget for the next Framework Programme (FP10) to €200 billion. This increase is vital to support more high-quality proposals and tackle Europe's most pressing challenges.

EAIC remains committed to advocating for these reforms to strengthen Europe’s innovation ecosystem and facilitate a smoother and more efficient application process for researchers and innovators. Our members’ experience uniquely positions us to contribute meaningfully to this ongoing discussion.
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For more on our FP10 paper, see: EAIC Position Paper on FP10.