The European Commission has adopted new rules that will facilitate the granting of aid measures by Member States in support of research, development and innovation (R&D&I) activities.
Europe is currently falling short of its objective for 2020 of spending 3% of GDP in research and development. At present, spending in the EU stands at just above 2%, compared to around 3% for major global competitors like the US and Japan. The difference is mainly due to lower levels of private investment.
The new rules mean Member States will have much more flexibility for implementing state aid measures - they can now grant aid for experimental development of up to €15 million per project and per beneficiary without prior Commission approval, as compared to €7.5 million under the previous rules. The combined effect of the new Framework and the new block exemption regulation mean that for example, aid for the construction or upgrade of research infrastructure; aid measures to support innovation clusters; and aid for process and organisational innovation, will now receive more favourable treatment.
Under the new framework Member States will be allowed to grant aid for applied research up to 90% of the eligible costs of a project – as opposed to 60% in the previous rules. This now includes prototypes, pilot projects and demonstrations, making it easier to bring innovative products and services to market.
Commission Vice President in charge of competition policy Joaquín Almunia said:
"Research and innovation are key for growth and the competitiveness of our European economy. However, highly innovative projects often carry high risks and may not be implemented due to funding gaps. The new framework will help to overcome such market failures and foster a smart use of public resources for research, development and innovation activities, in complement to private funding."
“We all know that Europe is clearly falling short of our objective for 2020 of spending 3% of GDP in research and development. At present, spending in the EU stands at just above 2%, compared to around 3% in the US and Japan. This difference is mainly due to lower levels of private investment.”
“With these new rules it will become easier for EU governments to invest more and more efficiently in R&D and innovation. It will be easier to use state aid as a tool to mobilise private investment. This will help unlock Europe’s potential in this crucial area.”
Barhale has completed work on two separate Rapid Action Taskforce Spills projects it is carrying out for Severn Trent.
Börger UK, which has firmly established itself as a leading pump brand since it was set up in Staffordshire in 2004, has moved into bigger, brand-new premises in Shrewsbury.
HUBER Technology UK & Ireland are inviting people to register for their March webinar where they will be providing information about HUBER water intake screens for municipal and industrial applications.
Sulzer has launched a new global Center of Excellence (CoE) for Water Treatment Solutions - the CoE consolidates Sulzer’s wastewater treatment expertise in a unified and global manner.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.