The European Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC) has released a new position paper examining the European Commission’s forthcoming European Innovation Act (EIA). This whitepaper provides an in-depth perspective on how the EIA can help transform Europe’s scientific excellence into industrial competitiveness, with a focus on the needs of quantum and deep-tech companies.
Prepared by QuIC’s Funding and SME Working Group, the paper brings together insights from startups, corporates, investors, universities, research institutions, and policymakers. Its core message is clear: Europe has the talent and the knowledge to lead in innovation, but it must take bold policy action to overcome long-standing structural barriers.
Download here the Position Paper on The European Innovation Act
Addressing Systemic Challenges in European Innovation
The paper identifies several critical obstacles that continue to hinder the commercialisation of research and the scale-up of innovative companies. These include fragmented regulation, limited access to growth capital, underdeveloped infrastructure, weak IP valorisation, and talent shortages. For Europe’s quantum ecosystem, these challenges are especially urgent, given the global race to build industrial leadership in this domain.
Through detailed stakeholder feedback, the whitepaper outlines how the EIA could address these barriers and strengthen Europe’s innovation landscape. It offers practical, actionable recommendations for EU policymakers to create a more coherent, supportive environment for entrepreneurs and researchers alike.
Key Recommendations
The paper proposes seven overarching priorities to shape the European Innovation Act:
-
Simplify and harmonise regulation through a unified startup framework and regulatory sandboxes
-
Mobilise deep-tech finance by expanding EU funding tools and de-risking private investment
-
Strengthen infrastructure and supply chains with interconnected R&D facilities and strategic procurement
-
Accelerate commercialisation through public procurement, improved IP exploitation, and standardisation
-
Empower talent and mobility with improved research careers and an EU-wide innovation visa
-
Enhance international collaboration while safeguarding Europe’s strategic technologies
-
Institutionalise stakeholder engagement to ensure inclusive, adaptive, and accountable implementation
These proposals are grounded in broad consultation across the innovation ecosystem and are closely aligned with recent high-level reports, including those by Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta.
A Sector-Specific Lens on a Pan-European Strategy
Quantum technologies are used in the paper as a case study that reflects both Europe’s strengths in research and its limitations in industrial scale-up. The challenges faced by quantum companies exemplify many of the broader issues that the EIA aims to address. As such, the recommendations in this paper have relevance well beyond the quantum field.
QuIC’s analysis suggests that targeted, system-wide reform is essential if the EIA is to succeed. By implementing the measures outlined in this paper, the European Union has a genuine opportunity to build an innovation environment that supports startups, scale-ups, and researchers across all deep-tech domains.
Download the Whitepaper
To explore the full set of insights and policy recommendations, we invite you to read the complete whitepaper.
Download here the Position Paper on The European Innovation Act
Contributors
This position paper was prepared by QuIC’s Funding and SME Working Group with contributions from:
-
Abhishek Purohit – QURECA
-
Alexandra Paul – Pasqal
-
David Morcuende – QuIC
-
Edmundo Guajardo – xista innovation
-
Harshit Krishna – Multiverse Computing
-
Jorge Garcia del Arco – QUBIZ.team
-
Nataliia Darmenko – EY
-
Roman Pasek – AMIRES
-
Robert Harrison – Sonnenberg Harrison, ESNA, German Australian Business Council
We are grateful for their input and commitment to advancing Europe’s innovation agenda.
