EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities for "Scaling up Deep Tech Ecosystems" (HORIZON-EIE-2026-01-CONNECT-03)

1. Single Market Access – 450 + Million Consumers

• Border-free commercialisation: Piloted deep-tech solutions can rapidly move from regional demonstrators to EU-wide sales without customs, tariffs or divergent product rules.

• Early feedback at scale: Access to diverse user groups (urban/rural, advanced/emerging regions) speeds up product–market fit and de-risks later global expansion.

• Unified IP protection: The Unitary Patent and EUIPO design rights lower costs for start-ups and spin-offs created through the action.

2. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange

• Pan-European consortia: Mandatory inclusion of at least one ESFRI Landmark/ERIC fosters joint projects between world-class labs and industry from multiple Member States.

• Talent mobility & co-creation: Marie Skłodowska-Curie and Erasmus+ networks can embed researchers and students in pilot projects, enriching skills transfer.

• Shared testing facilities: Companies gain subsidised access to unique RI equipment located in other countries, avoiding duplication of expensive infrastructure.

3. Alignment with Flagship EU Policies

| EU Policy | Direct Contribution of the Call |

|-----------|---------------------------------|

| European Green Deal | Supports climate-tech hardware (e.g. advanced materials, energy storage) emerging from RIs. |

| Digital Europe & Chips Act | Facilitates semiconductor, quantum and photonics prototypes via micro-/nano-fabrication RIs. |

| New European Innovation Agenda | Embeds ‘deep tech valleys’ across widening regions; answers the Agenda’s ‘five burning challenges’. |

| ERA Policy Agenda | Uses RIs to reduce fragmentation, consistent with Council Conclusions on competitiveness & ERA. |

4. Regulatory Harmonisation Benefits

• Single CE-marking path for med-tech or industrial equipment developed in pilots.

• Common data-governance frameworks (GDPR, Data Act) enable secure cross-border data spaces for AI-driven deep tech.

• Pan-EU standardisation bodies (CEN/CENELEC, ETSI) offer fast-track standards development, reinforcing market acceptance.

5. Embedded Innovation Ecosystem Assets

• ESFRI Roadmap RIs (e.g. ESRF, ELIXIR, EuroHPC) supply cutting-edge instrumentation and datasets that SMEs could never build alone.

• Quadruple-helix reach assures citizen & civil-society feedback, boosting social acceptance of high-tech breakthroughs.

• Interface with EIC, EIT KICs, Euroclusters gives pilots immediate visibility to investors, accelerators and large corporates.

6. Funding Synergies & Leverage

• Mandatory ≥ 60 % Financial Support to Third Parties: creates downstream grant scheme (≤ €500 k each) that SMEs can mix with EIC Accelerator equity, InvestEU guarantees or national RRF funds.

• Smart Specialisation & Cohesion funds: regions hosting RIs can align their ERDF priorities to co-finance scale-up infrastructure.

• Cascade to defence/space: Compatible with EDF and CASSINI funding where dual-use tech emerges.

7. Scale & Impact Potential

• Portfolio logic: Seeding 3–5 tech domains multiplies impact and allows cross-fertilisation (e.g. biotech ↔ advanced computing).

• EU “test-bed to market” pathway: From RI prototype → European Sandbox (regulatory pilots) → joint procurement via Innovation Procurement instruments.

• Only one project funded: Winning consortium becomes de-facto EU coordination hub for deep-tech ecosystems until 2030.

8. Unique Strategic Value of Operating at EU Level

1. Critical mass – Aggregates demand and supply of frontier technologies that no single Member State could achieve alone.

2. Risk-sharing – Distributes high capital and technology risks of deep-tech hardware across multiple public & private budgets.

3. Innovation cohesion – Obliges ‘Innovation Leaders’ to co-develop with ‘Moderate/Emerging’ regions, narrowing the gap and unlocking untapped talent pools.

4. Global positioning – A coordinated EU deep-tech ecosystem deters talent drain to the US/Asia and strengthens open strategic autonomy.

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Actionable Tip for Applicants

Embed a work package on "EU Market & Standards Pathway" that maps certification, IP, standardisation and procurement routes in at least 10 Member States to demonstrate exploitation readiness and maximise the above EU-wide advantages.