A new fund worth over €10 billion to support innovative startups in the EU will be created by the European Commission, according to a response to a relevant question by MEP and spokesperson for the New Democracy European group, Dimitris Tsiodras, regarding support for startups active in cancer treatment.
Specifically, as noted by Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva, the Commission has committed to creating a new fund (Scaleup Europe) and expanding the European Innovation Council to strengthen innovative ideas throughout their entire lifecycle.
Additionally, the Commission, in coordination with the European Investment Bank, will collaborate with major institutional investors to develop a European Innovation Investment Pact aimed at investing part of these investors’ assets in emerging new businesses, EU investment funds, and venture capital funds, while referring to its current actions, such as providing free advice to startups on matters related to their intellectual property.
Commission: Creating a European ecosystem for clinical research with new initiatives
The European Commission emphasizes that it will create a European ecosystem for clinical research with new initiatives, which will be included in the upcoming Strategy for Life Sciences and the Biotechnology Act, noting that since 2023, it has begun collaboration with the National Cancer Institute of the United States on childhood cancer and lung cancer, while more recently, it started similar cooperation with Japan.
These actions aim to implement the mission of the “Horizon Europe” program for cancer, which targets improving the lives of over 3 million people by 2030, through prevention and treatment, as well as extending and improving the lives of people suffering from cancer, including their families.
It is recalled that Mr. Tsiodras in his question had pointed out that “despite the fact that the number of European startups active in this specific sector does not differ significantly from the number of American ones (1,027 startups in the EU versus 1,325 in the US), American companies develop faster than their European counterparts.”
He had requested “a network of measures to strengthen startups, so that Europe remains at the forefront of global cancer research.”
The European Commission emphasizes that it will create a European ecosystem for clinical research with new initiatives, which will be included in the upcoming Strategy for Life Sciences and the Biotechnology Act, noting that since 2023, it has begun collaboration with the National Cancer Institute of the United States on childhood cancer and lung cancer, while more recently, it started similar cooperation with Japan.
These actions aim to implement the mission of the “Horizon Europe” program for cancer, which targets improving the lives of over 3 million people by 2030, through prevention and treatment, as well as extending and improving the lives of people suffering from cancer, including their families.
It is recalled that Mr. Tsiodras in his question had pointed out that “despite the fact that the number of European startups active in this specific sector does not differ significantly from the number of American ones (1,027 startups in the EU versus 1,325 in the US), American companies develop faster than their European counterparts.”
He had requested “a network of measures to strengthen startups, so that Europe remains at the forefront of global cancer research.”
