The wealth of creativity and innovative ideas in the European Mittelstand ensures Europe’s competitiveness for decades. Therefore, small and medium-sized companies must be strengthened through better legal framework conditions, financial assistance and knowledge transfer in the field of innovation and research. In addition, the speed of progress of digital transformation is becoming faster. Only if competitive disadvantages for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are dismantled, innovations can truly be deployed more efficiently in practice and contribute to general economic growth.
ENSURE INNOVATION IN SMEs AND COMPLETE THE DIGITAL SINGLE MARKET
– Create EU-wide patent law
In order to open up the opportunities of innovation and research for the Mittelstand, a competitive patent law must be introduced at European level. Only if intellectual property is protected small and medium-sized firms can develop market advantages and benefit from innovation
– Securing investments – Expand Horizon Europe
The EU R&D program Horizon will be operative until the end of 2020 in order to promote innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises. This project must be extended on time and expanded. But the proportion of funds for SMEs for the promotion of innovation should be at least 20 percent of the total. This can only be done by maintaining the SME-Instrument as it is.
The introduction of the European Innovation Council has not been agreed with SMEs and shall not lead to open the SME-Instrument to other players like research centres and universities, or even worse “innovators” without legal status. Furthermore it needs new projects for innovation and research to be initiated by SMEs, because non-European innovation programs such as, for example, the American SBIR (“Small Business Innovation Research Program “) distort the competition between European and US companies.
– Enhance Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is the basis for a successful digitization. A large majority of companies benefits from digital innovations and builds its growth strategy on new technologies. Only if the European Union ensures a secure base, long-term success is possible.
– Set up a European Cloud for knowledge transfer
An open network structure should allow the free exchange of knowledge among all actors. The seamlessly interconnected services for analysis and reuse of research data creates innovation and strengthens Europe as a global business centre. Only if data can be exchanged cross-border, applications like Cloud Computing, Big Data or Industry 4.0 will be successful in Europe.
– AI as a forerunner in Europe
Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and autonomous systems will bring disruptive changes also to the Mittelstand. We therefore need a strong European cooperation in the area of AI from 2021 onwards, exceeding the investments of 20 billion Euro by 2020. Workers – women and men – should in the long run benefit equally from European AI research.
