Innovation and skills

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The climate crisis, ageing and growing populations and dwindling resources urge us to transform the way we live, learn, work and produce. Innovation and technology are crucial to make this transformation happen.

Innovation is also key to economic growth and employment. It drives prosperity and the EU’s competitiveness. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and advanced manufacturing will have a profound impact on employment and the economy.

Please note: The priority area “Innovation and skills” is evolving into “Innovation, digital and human capital.” The page will reflect these changes shortly.

Download the EIB Innovation Overview 2020

The EIB Group is committed to breaking down investment barriers and helping the EU to take lead in the next wave of innovation. We aim to drive the emergence and deployment of new technologies that address current challenges and support Europe's innovators to become global technology leaders. Highly skilled individuals and quality research underpin the European Union’s capacity to innovate successfully. That is why we also support skills and training to create new job opportunities and help workers and firms to adapt to market needs and rapid technological change.

Our support at a glance

Since 2000, the EIB has supported innovation and skills with more than €220 billion of investment.

In 2021 alone, the EIB provided €20.7 billion to support innovation and skills. This support took a number of forms:

Support of development and commercialisation of new products, processes and business models
Promote investment in research and development, education, upskilling and training
Improving connectivity and access by investing in broadband and mobile networks
Adoption and diffusion of digital and other emerging technologies

Areas of eligibility

Find out more about EIB support for innovation

Fundamental research

The EIB supports complex scientific projects such as the large hadron collider at CERN, the European Synchotron Radiation Facility and the European Spallation Source.

Education

Ideas are increasingly powering economic growth in Europe. The EIB invests in higher education and research to promote the EU’s capacity to innovate and to adopt innovation successfully, such as the construction of state-of-the-art medical simulation centres in Poland.

Digitisation

In order to support and accelerate the development and deployment of new network technologies such as 5G and improve access in rural areas, the EIB backs investments in digital networks and digitalisation, supporting cutting-edge digital technologies like artificial intelligence or the Internet of Things.

Life sciences

From nanotechnology to treat cancer to the use of artificial intelligence in medical research, the EIB provides financing for innovative businesses that develop new medicines for life-threatening diseases and health management solutions that help improve quality of life.

Industry

The digital and economic transformation of the economy is an opportunity for the EIB to help reignite Europe's traditional industries, such as the automotive, printing, manufacturing and computing domains, while supporting the transition to the green economy.

Discover more

Deep tech innovation in smart connected technologies

This report provides a comparative analysis of SMEs in Europe and the United States aims to guide policymakers, industry and the broader public by providing a comprehensive analysis of small and medium-sized firms that have been developing fourth industrial revolution technology over the past decade.

It focuses on technologically advanced businesses that have actively patented these technologies, as opposed to small businesses that are simply making use of these advances.

Explore the report

Climate in everything we do

The European Investment Bank has been the EU's climate bank for a long time. In order to reduce the consequences of the climate crisis for us and generations to come, nearly all greenhouse gas emissions must be eliminated by the middle of this century. This will require a radical transformation of our energy systems. The EIB is fully committed to backing companies that develop cutting-edge technologies to address climate change.

Elcogen, a company in Estonia, develops technology that efficiently and cheaply converts fuel into energy that can be used for residential and industrial power generation systems.
In Sweden, Northvolt intends to build the world's greenest battery, with a minimal carbon footprint and the highest ambitions for recycling, to enable the European transition to renewable energy.
The EIB also supports the development of breakthrough wind energy technology in Portugal. The company Windplus will install a floating wind farm, located off the Viana do Castelo coast.

In focus: Desperate for digital

The pandemic has sped up digital transformation across almost all economic sectors. Most firms in the European Union and the United States expect the COVID-19 outbreak to have a long-term impact on the use of digital technologies. Taking an early lead on digitalisation is crucial to Europe’s lasting competitiveness.

Our newest digitalisation report sheds light on the state of digitalisation in European countries.

Find out more

Highlights

We support projects that promote innovation all over the world. Discover more

Tailored support for your project

The EIB partners with other public and private investors to unlock further investment in innovative projects.

We complement our traditional lending with innovative finance products:

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