Consultation: Competitiveness and Innovation Programme

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the successor to the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme 2007-2013 (CIP). The CIP is the main EU budgetary instrument targeting competitiveness outside the research and skills areas. Its main priorities are SMEs, access to finance, innovation (including eco-innovation), take-up and use of information and communication technologies (ICT), energy efficiency and renewables. Through the consultation, the public is invited to have its say on what the priorities of future competitiveness and innovation EU funding should be. The consultation will remain open until 4 February 2011.

The public consultation on competitiveness and innovation EU funding is part of an impact assessment and of a broader reflection on the next financial multiannual framework of the European Union after 2013. The scope and objectives of the future programmes are not yet decided, but the public consultation will help to design a possible successor to the current Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP 2007-2013).

The EIP supports innovation and SMEs in the EU, focusing on:

better access to finance for SMEs through venture capital and loan guarantees;

providing services to business via the "Enterprise Europe Network" centres in and beyond the EU;

support for innovation;

eco-innovation pilot and market replication projects for the testing of innovative technologies.

The ICT-PSP aims at stimulating the uptake of innovative and interoperable ICT based services through:

funding pilot and networking actions;

stimulating the demand for ICT based innovation in areas of public interest such as ICT for health, ageing and inclusion, energy efficiency and smart mobility, and improved public services;

analysing, monitoring and benchmarking the uptake of digital services in Europe.

The IEE contributes to delivering the EU's climate change and energy targets through:

addressing the non-technology barriers to sustainable energy deployment;

facilitating investments in sustainable energy projects at the local and regional level;

developing training and qualification schemes for energy efficiency and renewable energy in the building sector;

supporting development and implementation of the EU sustainable energy policy.