News Detail

COMMITTEES
13.06.2021

Commission and industry invest €22 billion in new European Partnerships to deliver solutions to major societal challenges

Today, the Commission launched 11 new European Partnerships together with industry, including the Built4People Partnership (*), to boost investments in research and innovation and to overcome major climate and sustainability challenges, towards making Europe the first climate neutral economy and delivering on the European Green Deal. In line with the goals of the ‘twin' green and digital transition, the Partnerships will also deliver on the EU's digital ambitions for the next decade, Europe's Digital Decade.

They will receive over €8 billion from Horizon Europe, the new EU research and innovation programme for 2021-2027. The total commitments, including those from private partners and from Member States, amount to around €22 billion. This critical mass of funding allows the Partnerships to pursue innovative solutions on a large scale, for example to tackle emissions from energy-intensive industries and hard-to-decarbonise sectors, such as shipping and steel-making, as well as to develop and deploy high-performance batteries, sustainable fuels, artificial intelligence tools, data technologies, robotics, and more. Pooling in efforts, resources and investments jointly and on a large scale under the Partnerships will also generate long-term positive impacts, boost European competitiveness and technological sovereignty and create jobs and growth.

The Commission adopted today Memoranda of Understanding to launch the Partnerships, which will start their operations immediately. A signature ceremony for the Memoranda of Understanding will take place at the European Research and Innovation Days on 23 June.

More information is available in this EC press release.

(*) Reminder of Built4People (B4P) Partnership main features:
Scope:
- Decarbonisation, sustainability and better living (Europe & beyond)
- Gather partners across the built env. value chain
Aim:
Produce & deliver on the market holistic innovation
-> long-lasting transformations & behavioural change
-> deliver long-term goals set by the EGD
Approach:
- People-centric holistic innovation
- High quality architecture -> low carbon, highly energy & resource efficient built env.
- Drive the societal and economic transition towards sustainability.
Coordination:
• EC: DG ENER Lead contact -> co-creation process among 12 EC services responsible for the policies focusing on the BE: ENER.B2, B3, B5; RTD.D1; GROW.C1; ENV.B2; MOVE.B3; CLIMA.C1; CNECT.H5; EAC.D1, D2; EMPL.C3.
• Partners others than the EU: ECTP and WGBC

Source: European Commission © European Union, 1995-2021, and ECTP Secretariat