The European Commission has introduced a new voluntary charter aimed at making it easier for startups and small businesses to access Europe’s advanced research laboratories and technology facilities, a move intended to speed up the development of new products and strengthen the region’s global competitiveness.
Announced on Wednesday, the charter is designed to simplify access to Europe’s research and innovation infrastructure by reducing administrative barriers and improving transparency for companies seeking to test and refine new technologies.
The Commission said the initiative would help startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) move innovative ideas from the development stage to the marketplace more quickly by providing easier access to world-class laboratories, testing centers and pilot facilities.
European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva said innovative businesses require access to advanced infrastructure to develop products and bring them to market at a faster pace.
She encouraged research and technology organizations across Europe to adopt the charter and support its principles, saying broader participation would strengthen the innovation ecosystem across the European Union.
The new framework comes as the EU continues efforts to improve its competitiveness against major global technology leaders, including the United States and China. European policymakers have increasingly focused on creating conditions that encourage innovation and help emerging companies expand within the bloc.
According to the Commission, one of the biggest challenges facing startups and SMEs is the difficulty in identifying available research services and understanding the costs and conditions for using them. Smaller businesses often lack the financial and legal resources needed to negotiate complicated agreements, placing them at a disadvantage compared with larger corporations.
The charter outlines six guiding principles intended to improve cooperation between research organizations and businesses. These include increasing the visibility and availability of research services, improving transparency and quality standards, simplifying contractual arrangements, ensuring secure management of intellectual property rights, providing support tailored to the needs of companies and promoting closer cooperation between research infrastructures through data sharing.
Research institutions and technology facilities that wish to participate can formally endorse the charter through an online registration process.
To support implementation, the European Commission said it will organize webinars and industry events while also creating a shared repository where participating organizations can exchange examples of successful practices and collaboration models.
The charter forms part of the European Union’s broader Startup and Scaleup Strategy, which aims to make Europe a leading destination for launching and expanding technology-driven businesses. The strategy focuses on improving access to finance, talent, research capabilities and innovation networks to help European companies compete internationally.
The initiative also complements the EU’s wider strategy for research and technology infrastructure and works alongside the existing European Charter for Access to Research Infrastructures. Officials said the combined measures are intended to create a more connected and accessible innovation environment, giving smaller companies greater opportunities to develop new technologies and bring them to market more efficiently.
