Since 2018, the Commission has approved State aid for at least one integrated Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) each year. Nine of these IPCEIs concern predominantly research and development as well as projects of first industrial deployment. One IPCEI is dedicated to infrastructure. The increasing number of participating Member States and companies shows a positive trend. It reflects the broad and deep research and development capabilities of the European economy and the growing attractiveness of the IPCEI instrument among the EU Member States. The increasing number of companies from numerous Member States participating supports the creation of European economic ecosystems. The mandatory dissemination of know-how as spillovers will facilitate further research and development and is expected to initiate additional economic activities in the EU’s strategic value chains.
The State aid approved, along with the expected private investments into research and development of these nine integrated IPCEIs so far, add up to over EUR 91 billion. This level of investment is comparable to the EU’s Horizon programmes.
Of the ten integrated IPCEIs approved so far, more than 20% of all participating companies are Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Since the start of the first integrated IPCEI in 2018, the participation ratio of SMEs has steadily increased from 7% in the IPCEI Microelectronics 1 to 64% in the IPCEI Med4Cure in 2024.
