Unlocking Europe’s Innovation Potential: The Strategic Role of R&T Infrastructures

ASTP's EU Committee

The European Union is navigating a rapidly changing geopolitical and economic environment that has significant implications for its long term competitiveness. While Europe maintains strong industrial capabilities in sectors such as automotive, pharmaceuticals and advanced manufacturing, recent economic analyses show a relative decline in its position within the global economy. According to data from the International Monetary Fund, the European Union share of global GDP has decreased from 25.05 percent in 1990 to an estimated 13.99 percent in 2025. These developments underline the need of strengthening the conditions that allow European innovation to grow and scale.

Challenges

A key challenge is the persistent gap between Europe strong research base and its comparatively weaker record in creating globally competitive technology companies. Although the European Union hosts approximately 10 percent more technology startups than the United States, 60 percent of all global scale ups are located in North America. Many young companies in Europe struggle to access the advanced facilities required to validate, test and refine new technologies. These capabilities are essential for demonstrating proof of concept and attracting investment, yet small and medium sized enterprises often lack the capital to develop their own laboratories.

At the same time, Europe has invested heavily in research and technology infrastructures that offer world class capabilities. These facilities are major public assets, but they are not always easily accessible for smaller companies. Administrative procedures can be complex, visibility of available services remains limited and access conditions vary widely across countries. As a result, a significant share of research and technology capacity remains underused by the very companies that could translate these assets into economic value.

The European Strategy on Research and Technology Infrastructures

The European Strategy on Research and Technology Infrastructures adopted in 2025 provides an important foundation for addressing these issues. It describes research and technology infrastructures as part of a continuous landscape of services that supports the entire innovation process. It calls for improved coordination across governance levels, better accessibility, more user oriented service models and alignment with broader European priorities such as competitiveness, sustainability and technological autonomy.

Building on this vision, Europe may need to consider practical access mechanisms that create clearer and more predictable paths for small and medium sized enterprises. A single entry point model could help companies identify the most appropriate facilities and expertise while reducing administrative complexity. Another option is to dedicate a defined share of infrastructure capacity to small and medium sized enterprise use. Even a modest allocation would be meaningful. Before September 2022, more than 80 small and medium sized enterprises requested access to research and technology infrastructures, with individual requests ranging from EUR 30,000 to EUR 100,000. Meeting all these requests would have cost at most EUR 8 million, a small figure compared with the EUR 319 million invested by the European Union in open innovation test bed infrastructure or the EUR 1.2 billion dedicated to technology infrastructures under the Horizon 2020 program.

Framework conditions also play an important role. Clear and proportional approaches to intellectual property, consistent access rules and transparent cost recovery can help ensure that collaborations are fair, efficient and sustainable. These elements create the predictability that early stage companies need in order to invest in advancing their technologies.

Knowledge and technology transfer professionals are essential to this effort. They help connect research organisations with industry, facilitate access to infrastructures and design effective collaboration pathways. Their role is central in ensuring that research and technology infrastructures become active drivers of innovation rather than isolated assets.

The future

Looking ahead, several technological domains offer Europe promising opportunities for leadership. Photonics is a sector in which no definitive global leader has yet emerged, despite rapid advances. Power electronics and radio frequency chips, which depend on wide bandgap semiconductors, are also strategically important for the green transition and for European energy resilience. Strengthening access to research and technology infrastructures in these areas would support both scientific progress and industrial competitiveness.

Enhancing the use of research and technology infrastructures is therefore a central element of the European ambition to reinforce its position in global science and innovation. By making these resources more accessible, better coordinated and more connected to the needs of industry, Europe can accelerate the development of emerging technologies, support the growth of new companies and contribute more effectively to major global challenges. In doing so, it can strengthen its competitiveness and reinforce its role as a trusted partner in international cooperation and scientific progress.

Sources:

•  International Monetary Fund
• European Commission (2019). Technology Infrastructures, Commission Staff Working Document. Brussels: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation.
• European Commission (2025). Science, Research and Innovation Performance Report
• European Commission (2023). Open Innovation Test Beds for Advanced Materials: Examples and lessons learnt from one type of Technology Infrastructure. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.