Industrial Leadership

Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies

Key Enabling Technologies (KETs), ICT and Space are areas of key industrial competences determining Europe’s global competitiveness. 

The emphasis is on areas of research and innovation with a strong industrial dimension and where mastering new technological opportunities will enable and drive innovation.

The emphasis for Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies (LEIT) actions will be on:

  • Research and innovation to strengthen Europe's industrial capacities and business perspectives, including SMEs
  • Public-private partnerships (PPPs)
  • Cross-cutting KETs
  • Seizing the ICT opportunities
  • Contributions to solving Societal Challenges and to Focus Areas
  • Cross-cutting aspects, like international cooperation and responsible research and innovation.

One of the key factors constraining the implementation of research and innovation (R&I) activities is the lack of available financing at acceptable terms to innovative businesses due to their complex products and technologies, unproven markets and intangible assets.

Through its actions under ‘Access to Risk Finance’, Horizon 2020  supports companies and other types of organisations engaged in R&I such as research centres, universities, public-private partnerships, special-purpose companies or projects, and joint ventures, to gain easier access to debt and equity financing.

Particular support is required for innovative SMEs (and in some sectors microenterprises), especially in the start-up phase or after diversifying into new markets. The availability of early-stage and growth-stage equity finance for innovative firms is being improved thanks to VentureEU, which will help to provide better access to finance to support the concept and proof-of-concept stage of the innovation process, as well as the later stages of development where relevant.

Work Programme 2018-2020

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Innovation in SMEs

Horizon 2020 actively supports SMEs by providing both direct financial support, and indirect support to increase their innovation capacity. 'Innovation in SMEs' aims at creating a bridge between the core of the framework programme - support to research, development and innovation projects - and the creation of a favourable ecosystem for SME innovation and growth. 

Work Programme 2018-2020


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