the EU bank

The EIB promotes the aims of the Lisbon agenda, including the creation of a European Research and Development Area (ERA) as a generator of economic growth, employment and social cohesion.

The EIB’s Innovation 2010 Initiative supports investments in R&D and innovation promoted by public and private entities such as:

• academic and public research institutes
• foundations
• national or regional inititiatives to support R&D and innovation
• industrial R&D and innovation, including the activities of SMEs

The EIB also finances capital investments, including recurrent ”intangible" expenditures like researchers’ salaries and research consumables, acquisition of Intellectual Property Rights and technology licenses, aimed at:

• Development of Community Research Networks, Platforms, and Programmes:

  Collaborative actions initiated at European and Community level, e.g. European R&D Infrastructures (ESFRI) or European Technology Platforms.

• Facilitating European Human Resources in Science and Technology:

  Investment initiatives to increase employment in Science and Technology Areas. This also encompasses the development of poles, knowledge networks, or centres of excellence in R&D, in areas like new materials, health care, etc.

• Regional and Local Endowment for R&D and Innovation:

  Investments that support a region’s innovation capacity, such as public and private research centres, Science and Technology Parks, incubator centres and technopoles, research driven clusters, etc.

• Public and Private Sector Investments in R&D and Innovation:

  The creation, diffusion and adoption of innovative products, processes and services, including prototypes, pilot plants and first stage industrial and commercial applications

The Bank proposes a variety of loan instruments to cater for the diverse range of R&D financing, as well as the EIB-European Commission Risk Sharing Finance Facility.