"China & US outpaced the EU in leveraging public R&D investments into private funding" (Commission)

"In the past decade, China and the US have outpaced the EU in leveraging public R&D investments into robust private sector funding [...] With private R&D funding trailing behind that of other major economies, the EU finds itself increasingly reliant on public funding. This dependency underscores the importance of ensuring the efficiency of the EU's currently fragmented public funding system", indicates the European Commission in a report published on 06/06/2025.

Analysing public R&I funding in the EU, US, and China, the report "emphasises that all three economies have implemented over recent years strategies to enhance industrial competitiveness in key sectors by developing robust R&I policies aimed at boosting investments and prioritising strategic science and technology areas to maintain global leadership and safeguard national interests".

However, public funding for R&D in the EU is still fragmented between member states and across different layers (Union and national levels), as well as between different programmes.... Only a fraction of R&D funding is allocated at the EU level…