Fraunhofer paper calls for ‘more effective pathways’ between FP10 and ECF

Fraunhofer urges EU legislators to create more effective pathways that translate research into industrial deployment by leveraging the link between the 10th Framework Programme for research and innovation (FP10) and the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF). It calls for a discussion on how to design an ambitious co-governance framework between the two programs.

“We need to face new realities. Europe must design FP10 and ECF for transformation rather than incremental change,” says Mathias Rauch, Chief Representative to the EU at Fraunhofer. “Simply continuing existing structures will not be enough to respond to rapid technological and geopolitical disruptions.” 

The design of the policy windows in FP10 and ECF should follow a clear intervention logic that aligns collaborative R&I, technology development, and industrial scale-up in a strategic portfolio approach. Public-private partnerships can play a central role, bringing together industry, research organizations, and policymakers to steer innovation portfolios across the full value chain. Combined with ARPA-inspired program management, this would create a continuous innovation pipeline, connecting collaborative R&I with pilot lines, demonstration projects, and industrial scale-up supported through the ECF. 

Adequate funding is essential to realize Europe’s R&I ambitions. An inflation-proof FP10 budget of at least €175 billion, potentially up to €200 billion, will be necessary to ensure impact across the full spectrum of technological readiness. To maintain scale and continuity, at least 56% of FP10 should be dedicated to Pillar II, safeguarding collaborative research as the backbone of Europe’s innovation ecosystem. Partnerships – as a blueprint of research-industry cooperation at scale – should remain at the core of a revamped Pillar II. 

“Europe has a strong technological foundation,” Rauch notes. “But to fully leverage that, we need continuity across the full innovation pipeline, from collaborative R&I in FP10 to deployment and scale-up through the ECF, backed by governance structures that enable strategic portfolio management rather than isolated projects, at speed and based on expertise.” 

With the paper, Fraunhofer seeks to start a dialogue around tangible ideas for FP10 and ECF, inviting stakeholders to engage in an open, forward-looking discussion on how Europe’s R&I system can strengthen technological and industrial leadership. 

Read the full discussion paper here.