What are European Technology Platforms?

Innovation is a key driver for future competitiveness and economic growth in Europe. It is therefore one of the 10 Lisbon objectives that aim to make the European Union the most dynamic economy in the world by 2020. Research for innovation has been given legal status in the new EU Constitution.

In order to boost R&D, the Commission has created a tool called European Technology Platforms (ETP). These are private-public partnerships aimed at developing sectoral R&D programs in a more rapid and effective way. This is done to provide benefits to the European citizens, to create competitiveness for European companies and to ensure that EU R&D investments deliver higher value.

In essence, ETPs are mechanisms that:

• Provide a framework for stakeholders, led by industry, to define research and development priorities, timeframes and action plans on a number of strategically important issues where achieving Europe's future growth, competitiveness and sustainability objectives is dependent upon major research and technological advances in the medium to long term.
• Play a key role in ensuring an adequate focus of research funding on areas with a high degree of industrial relevance, by covering the whole economic value chain and by mobilising public authorities at national and regional levels. In fostering effective public-private partnerships, technology platforms have the potential to contribute significantly to the renewed Lisbon strategy and to the development of a European Research Area of knowledge for growth. As such, they are proving to be powerful actors in the development of European research policy, in particular in orienting the Seventh Research Framework Programme to better meet the needs of industry.
• Address technological challenges that can potentially contribute to a number of key policy objectives which are essential for Europe's future competitiveness, including the timely development and deployment of new technologies, technology development with a view to sustainable development, new technology-based public goods and services, technological breakthroughs necessary to remain at the leading edge in high technology sectors and the restructuring of traditional industrial sectors.