Since 2018, the Commission has approved State aid for at least one integrated Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) each year. Ten 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 reflecting the broad and deep research and development capabilities of the European economy and the growing great 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 spillover activities will facilitate further research and development and is expected to initiate additional economic activities in the respective EU’s strategic value chains and ecosystems.
The State aid approved, along with the expected private investments into research and development of these ten integrated IPCEIs so far, add up to over EUR 92,2 billion. This level of investment is comparable to the EU’s Horizon programmes.
Of the eleven integrated IPCEIs approved so far, more than 22% 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 and share of State aid approved for SMEs has steadily increased from 7% in the IPCEI Microelectronics 1 to 64% in the IPCEI Med4Cure in 2024 and to 60% in the IPCEI Tech4Cure in 2025.
