The Commission has published two independent expert reports on dual-use research and innovation (R&I), which contribute to a better understanding of technologies that can be used both for civilian and defence purposes, and to the debate and informed decision-making for the next generation of EU funding programmes.
The first is a Policy Brief, prepared by the Expert group on the economic and societal impact of research and innovation (ESIR), “Making the most of EU Research and Innovation Investments: rethinking dual use”, highlights the strategic role of dual-use R&I funding to foster security, strategic autonomy, competitiveness and sustainability, and recommends the adoption of a dual-use by design approach, i.e. explicitly designed for both civil and defence applications. Other key points in the report include: dual-use R&I increases research productivity and fosters synergies between defence and civilian research; ethical considerations and governance need to be addressed; and new strategies should be explored to increase dual-use potential, including awareness, research output transfer, as well as collaboration between scientists and defence experts.
The second report, authored by individual experts from both civil and defence R&I communities, “Unlocking the potential of dual-use research and innovation”, offers concrete examples and case studies on how dual-use R&I can work in practice. It also provides evidence on opportunities and challenges related to civil-defence synergies; uncovers practical implementation of dual-use R&I within the perspective of research performing organisations, and small and medium-sized businesses, start-ups and scale-ups; and puts forward examples and benchmarks of national policies, strategies and funding programmes from around the world.
The two publications are complementary, addressing in the first one the policy dimension of dual-use R&I, together with analytical evidence of technical aspects in the second report.
Background
Geopolitical and technological developments have a significant impact on the EU competitiveness, security and prosperity. Advancing European leadership in dual-use technologies is an intrinsic part of the EU strategy to address critical dependencies, to shape international standards and to make the EU’s role indispensable globally in value chains and in key industries. This is acknowledged in the White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030 and in the European Preparedness Union Strategy, as well as in the European Internal Security Strategy – ProtectEU. In January 2024, the Commission also published a White Paper on options for enhancing support for research and development involving technologies with dual-use potential, as well as a relevant public consultation.
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Making the most of EU Research and Innovation Investments: rethinking dual use
