The European Fee will suggest a number of choices for selling analysis and improvement (R&D) associated to applied sciences with dual-use potential, particularly, those who can be utilized for each civil and navy functions, equivalent to drones and satellites.
The EU govt intends to evaluate its present funding programmes to evaluate whether or not they present satisfactory and strategic help to face the rising geopolitical challenges outlined within the European Financial Safety Technique.
This new method to R&D associated to dual-use expertise is detailed in a white paper the Fee is because of publish on 24 January as a part of the Financial Safety Package deal. Euractiv obtained an early model of the doc.
The white paper particulars a number of choices that shall be topic to a public session operating till 30 April. Stakeholders would possibly request that their submissions, or elements of them, stay confidential given the subject’s delicate nature.
Present setting
The EU’s flagship analysis programme, Horizon Europe, is at the moment devoted completely to civil issues, whereas the European Defence Fund (EDF) is solely devoted to defence functions. Nonetheless, the Fee has been making an attempt to bridge the hole between the 2 with a number of initiatives.
As a part of a broader push for de-risking from exterior dependencies on third international locations in crucial sectors, most notably from China, the EU has been striving to foster a technological edge over applied sciences crucial for the Union’s financial safety, which frequently have dual-use potential.
“The EU might subsequently have an vital function to play in offering focused help to twin use, on the pathway from R&D to deployment, proper by means of to market uptake or public procurement,” reads the white paper.
In keeping with the Fee, the dearth of synergies between EU programmes results in unexploited potential for civil R&D to spill over into the defence sector and from the defence R&D to generate civilian functions.
Potential choices
The doc highlights the necessity to discover extra cross-fertilisation within the context of R&D help associated to dual-use applied sciences, notably in integrating new applied sciences developed by means of defence funding into the civil sector.
The reference is that latest expertise has proven the strategic relevance of enhancing civil safety on crucial infrastructure, border management, the resilience of important companies, and addressing social unrest prompted by disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks.
On this regard, the Fee has devised three doable choices for addressing these challenges. The primary consists of constructing the very best use of the present setting, while the opposite two would require a legislative intervention.
Within the first state of affairs, the EU govt envisages leveraging the prevailing measures which are but to supply the supposed results. These measures embrace EDF’s spin-in calls, supporting dual-use firms with the InvestEU programme, and introducing exploitation obligations for Horizon Europe’s tasks associated to crucial applied sciences.
The parameters for receiving funding beneath programmes like Horizon Europe may very well be tweaked to develop synergies higher. Joint investments between the Fee and the European Funding Financial institution in crucial communication, disruptive applied sciences and house are additionally talked about.
Secondly, the white paper outlines that the unique civil focus may very well be eliminated in chosen elements of the successor to the Horizon Europe programme, which is able to run till 2027.
This focused method would preserve the analysis programme’s open participation of third international locations, with restrictions restricted within the elements involving applied sciences with dual-use potential.
“This feature would permit programming spin-in calls involving defence-related tasks’ outcomes straight within the successor programme to Horizon Europe, whereas in flip, the successor programme to the EDF would offer follow-up funding for defence functionality improvement of essentially the most promising civil-related venture outcomes,” the paper continues.
Lastly, the Fee suggests establishing a selected instrument for dual-use R&D. Nonetheless, this feature doesn’t appear to be the popular path as it’d add extra complexity and result in overlaps of R&D actions carried out completely for the civil and navy sectors.
This instrument may have its personal finances, guidelines and governance. Alternatively, it may very well be a mechanism to advertise the market uptake of dual-use applied sciences, like a Joint Endeavor, or by means of a procurement instrument.
As well as, the paper floats the thought of flagship tasks on dual-use applied sciences to place “the EU because the lead buyer for companies of public curiosity within the defence and civil area,” citing counter-drone techniques and autonomous autos as examples.
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]
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