EC Launches Consultations for State Aid on Innovation

The European Commission is launching consultations on improvements to EU state aid rules with regard to projects encouraging innovation. “Even though effective competition is the best tool to strengthen innovation and competitiveness in Europe, state aid can also play a very useful supporting role, " said Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes. "In this consultation document, the Commission sets out for the first time its concrete ideas on ways to support innovation via state aid. It is also the first concrete implementation of the refined economic approach outlined in the State Aid Action Plan.”

The suggested improvements include rules for aid that funds innovation, criteria to help public authorities to target aid more effectively, clarifying the rules to increase legal certainty and simplification of the regulatory framework. The proposals for innovation aid cover six broad areas: innovative start-ups; risk capital; the integration of innovation into existing rules on state aid for research and development (R&D); innovation intermediaries; training and mobility between university research personnel and SMEs; and poles of excellence for projects of common European interest

Click here for answers to frequently asked questions on state aid for innovation, and click here for more on the European Commission's state aid action plan.