European Commission: An action plan to improve synergies between civil, defence and space industries

An action plan will reinforce European innovation by exploring and exploiting the disruptive potential of technologies at the interface between defence, space and civil uses, such as cloud, processors, cyber, quantum and artificial intelligence

This EU action plan is a systematic and methodological approach to synergies in critical technologies across the three worlds. The idea is for innovations to systematically reach multiple uses by design and to allow tapping into the huge innovation potential of researchers and start-ups.

Among the main goals the action plan targets to

• Enhance the complementarity between relevant EU programmes and instruments covering research, development and deployment to increase efficiency of investments and effectiveness of results (the synergies);
• Promote that EU funding for research and development, including on defence and space, has economic and technological dividends for European citizens (the spin-offs)

This action plan will notably

• Create a framework that enhances synergies and cross-fertilisation among all relevant EU programmes and instruments, for example in the field of digital, cloud and processors
• Launch flagship projects to reduce dependencies, foster standardisation and interoperability, stimulate cross-border cooperation, create new value chains and answer to societal and EU strategic needs
• Support, throughout the Union, innovation from start-ups, Small and Medium Businesses (SMEs) and Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs), by facilitating their access to new opportunities, including by setting up an 'innovation incubator' network

More

• Action Plan on Synergies between Civil, Defence and Space Industries 
• Questions and Answers: Action Plan on synergies between civil, defence and space industries
• The EU Defence Industry and Space
• Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for 'a Europe fit for the Digital Age'