European Commission

Directorate D, Key Enabling Technologies, defines, implements and evaluates RDI policy and initiatives to promote the development and deployment of KET (Key Enabling Technologies) and their combinations ("cross-KET"). The Directorate also implements the European fund for the coal and steel sectors. The overall aim is to foster new growth and employment and European industrial and technological leadership, in full consideration of the societal challenges such as health, energy, transport, environment and climate. In this context, the Directorate contributes also to the design and implementation of relevant EU policies aiming at innovation and at the revitalisation of European manufacturing industry.

Unit D.2, Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Biotechnologies, manages, integrates and coordinates RDI actions and policy under Horizon 2020 in the fields of Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Biotechnologies for competitive and sustainable industrial innovation. The Unit’s work on these two KETs focuses on increasing industrial competitiveness and innovation by incorporating knowledge into products with high added value and highly-efficient processes and, when relevant, focuses on innovative SMEs. The Unit provides leadership in the area of contractual Public-Private Partnerships and is the lead service for the Public-Private Partnerships on Factories of the Future, Energy-efficient Buildings and Sustainable Process Industry, as well as for the Public-Public Partnership on Metrology. The Unit monitors and supports industrial policy initiatives in the field of the two KETs and, in particular, ensures the links with the Smart Cities initiative.

Biotechnologies

With applications in a broad variety of sectors, life sciences and biotechnology are main innovation drivers in the European Union, leading to new growth and competitiveness in traditional sectors, such as paper and pulp and chemical industries (including pharmaceutical the industry), textile companies and many others.

Our aim in supporting biotechnology research in the area of Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Research is to exploit the current and future know-how for boosting technological innovation and industrial leadership. We want European Industries to maintain their global leadership position for the benefit of European citizens. In pursuit of these goals we focus on mission-oriented research towards life sciences, biotechnology and biochemistry for sustainable non-food products and processes.