Scaling Up Deep Tech Ecosystems

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Enhanced development of deep tech^[1] ecosystems around pan-European research infrastructures^[2] to generate, scale and deploy breakthrough technologies with market and societal value;
• Increased involvement of industry, including SMEs, with research infrastructures to raise the technology level and competitiveness of companies and generate market opportunities, including through the generation of start-up or spin-off companies;
• Improved valorisation of the socio-economic impact of past investments in pan-European research infrastructures from the European Structural and Investment Funds;
• Foster the potential of pan-European research infrastructures for innovation training and education.

Pan-European research infrastructures are strategic assets to boost R&I, scientific discoveries and deep-tech developments at regional, national and European levels. They have a strong role in increasing the R&I potential of academia and industry in local and regional ecosystems, thus enhancing competitiveness, innovation in strategic areas and overcoming fragmentation. The Council conclusions on strengthening the competitiveness of the EU and overcoming the fragmentation of the European Research Area^[3] encouraged better use and deployment of Research Infrastructure facilities and services by academia and industry, including SMEs and start-ups across the entire EU.

As providers of advanced services and procurers of cutting-edge technologies, RIs have an innovation potential related to the development of components, instruments, services and knowledge that could be better exploited to push the edge of existing technologies and lead to their deployment for market-oriented or socially useful purposes.

The aim of the action is to respond to industry needs and to better valorise interactions that research infrastructures have with companies, facilitating deep collaboration and co-development.

The proposals should pilot the possibility to seed the development of innovation ecosystems around diverse technological areas related to pan-European research infrastructures by providing grants to pilot projects in three to five different technological areas.

The proposals should:

• identify deep tech innovations with breakthrough potential related to pan-European research infrastructures;
• assess the feasibility and scalability of the identified innovations;
• suggest a selection and clustering of those innovations that demonstrate sufficient maturity to provide a clear potential for industrial implementation and demonstrate the strongest market and societal value;
• run, evaluate calls and give convincing arguments to provide grant funding to pilot projects in the identified technological areas;
• assess the outcome of the pilot grants.

[1] C.f. deep tech definition on footnote 18.

[2] ESFRI: www.esfri.eu

[3] Council Conclusions on Strengthening the competitiveness of the EU, reinforcing the European Research Area and overcoming its fragmentation