As Europe stands at a critical crossroads, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Our research paints a stark picture – without decisive action, Europe faces a staggering EUR 40 trillion wealth gap with the US by 2032. The recent Draghi and Letta reports underscore this urgency. The time has truly come for Europe to reimagine its approach to innovation.
At the core of this transformation lies what we call the ‘Innovation Iceberg’ While investors traditionally chase visible, mature technologies that can be easily and quickly commercialised, Europe’s true strategic opportunity lies beneath the surface, in early-stage breakthroughs developed through its vast academic and research efforts. Alas, these often remain hidden from view and struggle for support and attention.
As Europe’s strategic sovereignty fully depends on unlocking this opportunity, it thus needs to be coordinated by a consortium consisting of decision makers at the highest levels of the European Commission and leading corporations in Europe.
To harness this potential, we need a revolutionary digital platform that identifies all participants in the innovation ecosystem and that maps and coordinates both the visible and invisible parts of the iceberg. This will empower all these participants and democratise converting innovation into commercial ventures across the continent.
‘The Platform‘ will allow us to coordinate and empower all participants in the ecosystem – ventures, entrepreneurs, talent, experts (advisors and mentors), business angels, venture capitalists, government agencies, expert organisations and corporations. Using smart algorithms and AI, we can then match all participants in real-time, removing all time-slack from the ecosystem.
By digitally collecting relevant data from all participants in the ecosystem, we can create a very large, validated and certified dataset which is a perfect foundation for using advanced AI, which will benefit all participants, starting from the policymaking level all the way down to ventures and the people that create and build these ventures. The Platform will provide policymakers with real-time data to steer, optimise and drive European industrial policy.
With the methodologies we’ve developed for The Platform, we’ll be able to identify the most promising innovations and the best performing actors, with resources then being allocated in ways previously thought unimaginable.
Think of it as a digital marketplace where ventures can instantly access resources, thus eliminating the bureaucratic delays that often strangle innovation. By establishing a secure, unified environment with validated data, it would also strengthen Europe’s digital sovereignty.
But technology alone isn’t enough. Europe faces a EUR 100 billion annual investment gap with the US, largely due to structural differences in our pension systems. Our research has shown that there is a strong correlation between the total amount of pension fund assets and venture capital investments in a region. Since Europe’s pension systems are mostly based on cash-in cash-out and forego having pension funds in between, Europe has around seven times fewer funds available to be invested in venture capital than the US.
Pension system reform will take decades at best, so the solution for Europe is not to match American venture capital investments – it‘s to invest smarter. This calls for a European Resource Investment Pool, a revolutionary approach to deploying capital and strategic resources across the continent using advanced smart decision-making methodologies.
This wouldn’t be just another investment fund. Rather, it would serve as Europe’s first true sovereign wealth facility, using data-driven decision-making to ensure optimal allocation of resources. Most crucially, it would support early-stage innovations before they become visible to traditional investors, filling a critical gap in our innovation ecosystem.
European industry leaders understand these challenges intimately. They witness daily how fragmented approaches and bureaucratic hurdles impede innovation, while their global competitors surge ahead. Their practical experience in navigating complex international markets makes them uniquely qualified to guide this transformation. We need their active involvement, not just in implementation but also to champion these necessary changes at the highest political levels.
The framework’s governance structure would be designed to guarantee long-term viability while preserving European values and sovereignty. Independent oversight would ensure impartial resource allocation, while balanced representation from public and private stakeholders would maintain accountability. Clear metrics would measure innovation impact and success, ensuring that the wealth created from innovation is fairly distributed across society.
This approach would be particularly powerful for complex industries like defence and security, where multidisciplinary collaboration is essential. By breaking down silos and building new alliances, we can reduce bureaucratic barriers while maintaining the highest standards of security and governance.
Implementing this framework would mark the beginning of a true European Renaissance in Innovation. By democratising access to innovation acceleration and managing resources more intelligently, we can secure Europe’s position as a global leader in technological advancement while ensuring the benefits are broadly shared across our society.
Europe’s industrial leaders have a crucial role to play in catalysing this transformation. Their collective voice, representing millions of employees and billions in investment, can help build the necessary political momentum. Their practical experience in driving innovation can inform policy decisions and ensure that frameworks are ambitious but also implementable.
The wealth gap projections tell us we’re running out of time. Europe must act now to unleash its innovation potential or risk being left behind in the global race for technological supremacy. This isn’t just about economic competition – it’s about securing Europe’s place in shaping the future of human progress.
Our proposals for an innovative digital platform and a European Resource Investment Pool offer a concrete path forward, turning future disruption into transformative processes that have a positive societal impact. Through coordinated investment in strategic technologies and sectors, we can build a more resilient and prosperous Europe.
The foundation is laid. The framework is clear. What we need now is a coalition of industrial leaders to join forces with policymakers to make this vision a reality.
The time for incremental changes has passed. Europe needs bold, decisive action to spark its innovation renaissance. Our future prosperity – and our children‘s prosperity – depends on the choices we make today. Let’s seize this moment to reshape Europe’s destiny – with European industry leading the way.
This CEPS Expert Commentary is part of a special series being published prior to the CEPS Ideas Lab on 3-4 March 2025 to showcase some of the most innovative ideas we’ll be rigorously debating with our participants. More info can be found on the official Ideas Lab 2025 website.
