High-Level Expert Group on Key Enabling Technologies

High-Level Group on Key Enabling Technologies

The new High-Level Group on Key Enabling Technologies (HLG) has been inaugurated by European Commission Vice-Presidents Antonio Tajani and Neelie Kroes as well as Commissioners Máire Geoghegan-Quinn and Johannes Hahn in Brussels on 27 February 2013.

To foster the industrial deployment of European KETs

The group aims to foster the industrial deployment of European KETs in order to keep pace with our main international competitors, restore growth, create jobs and help address today’s major societal challenges.

The High-Level Group will advise the Commission on the implementation of the strategy to boost KETs in Europe. The scope of issues to be discussed by the High-Level Group is broad and relates to research and innovation aspects, financial engineering mechanisms for KETs-projects, cooperation of KETs value chain stakeholders, trade and state aid related issues, human capital & skills and national and regional KETs’ policies.

Memorandum of Understanding between the EC and the EIB to finance the Key Enabling Technologies

 

At the inaugural meeting of the High-Level Group on Key Enabling Technologies, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the European Commission and the European Investment Bank that will pave the way for improved access to finance for investments in key enabling technologies. European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry, and Vice President Philippe de Fontaine Vive, responsible for innovation at the Bank, underlined that the agreement signed between the two institutions was a strong signal to Europe. Key Enabling Technologies should be a priority investment area in Europe.


The following key organisations are represented in the HLG*: 

• technology providers for each of the six KETs: nanotechnology, micro & nano-electronics, photonics, advanced materials, industrial biotechnology and advanced manufacturing systems
• down-stream industry users – e.g. energy, aeronautics, equipment, healthcare, biomaterials - as the aim of the KETs’ Strategy is to boost the production of  KETs-based product;
• civil society representatives and cross-cutting KETs representatives: trade union association, environmental NGO, movement involving local and regional authorities as well as the Skills and SME Community, the Research Community and the European Investment Bank;
• Public-Private-Partnerships (PPPs), e.g. Energy Efficient Buildings, Factories of the Future, Bio-based industries.

Press release: Agreement with EIB for breakthrough of Key Enabling Technologies

*The list of member organisations and their representatives is published on the website for Commission expert groups.



High-Level Group on Key Enabling Technologies (2010 – 2011)

The High Level Expert Group (HLG) on Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) presented its final report to the Commission on 28 June 2011. The group was set up to develop possible policy measures to promote the industrial take-up of KETs by EU industries. In its final report, the group proposes 11 policy recommendations for the development and deployment of KETs in Europe.

Final report of the HLG - 28 June 2011 [10 MB]

Further documents:

Press Release on HLG final report - 28 June 2011

Mid-term working document [504 KB]

Background brochure on the High-Level Group [4 MB]

 

Mission

The mission of the HLG was three-fold:

• To assess the competitive situation of the relevant technologies in the EU with particular focus on industrial deployment and their contribution in addressing major societal challenges;

• To analyse in depth the available public and private R&D capacities for KETs in the EU (on all levels);

• To propose specific policy recommendations for a more effective industrial deployment of KETs in the EU. 

The High-Level Group was launched on 13 July by Vice-Presidents Antonio Tajani and Neelie Kroes and Commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn (press release of the event). It was comprised of 27 members [9 KB] including representatives from EU member states, relevant European industry, downstream industries, the research community and the European Investment Bank. Its president was Jean Therme, Director of the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in Grenoble. The mandate of the High-Level Group was for one year.

The HLG's work programme

The work of the HLG was divided into two phases:

Phase I
During the first six months, working groups on each of the key enabling technologies were set up to assess the competitive situation of their technology in the EU vis-à-vis other regions and highlight key challenges in their industrial deployment along the value chain. This work was backed up by detailed ‘bottom-up’ information generated through broad based consultations of European stakeholders. For this purpose, Open Days  on each KET were organised and stakeholders sent position papers to the Commission's functional mailbox (entr-kets-open-days@ec.europa.eu).
These analyses were summarised in technology-specific reports, which presented the basis for the mid-term working document:

-   Micro- and Nanoelectronics [946 KB]

-   Advanced Materials [122 KB]

-   Nanotechnology [789 KB]

-   Biotechnology [2 MB]

-    Photonics [4 MB]  

-   Advanced Manufacturing Systems [3 MB]

Phase II
During the second six months of the HLG’s mandate, key areas were identified to form the basis for horizontal policy recommendations. During this process, specific workshops on each of these areas were organised with stakeholders and experts, resulting in the release of the following working groups reports:

-   Transdisciplinarity, Societal Acceptance and Innovative Regions [409 KB] ;

-   Value Chain and Vertical Integration [327 KB] ;

-   Enhancing Technological Research [126 KB] ;

-   Product Development [110 KB] ;

-   Globally Competitive Manufacturing; [208 KB]

-   Policy Options [353 KB] ;

-   Financial Instruments [2 MB] ;