Closing the Research-to-Market Gap in the EU

Europe does not have a problem with lack of excellent research, brilliant ideas, or creative minds. We do, however, have a problem with translation of research to real value to society. We know what holds back research-based entrepreneurship. It's not a lack of ideas or a lack of talent, but cumbersome processes, legal uncertainty and unpredictable conditions in the phase where speed is everything. Many researchers have failed when they wanted to make the leap from laboratory to company. This must become easier - and is the reason why a taskforce has provided recommendations as outlined in a chronicle in Børsen today (in Danish): https://lnkd.in/ekDskTAc The recommendations include: * All relevant stakeholders, including foundations and the business community, must contribute to strengthening the funding of innovation from research environments * Strengthen the recognition of innovation and entrepreneurship in the academic environment, so that even more researchers are encouraged to contribute * We should create standard contracts for researchers who want to use their research to create a company. This is already a reality, as from January 2026, all Danish universities introduced common standard contracts for researchers and students who want to start a company based on their research. The authors of the chronicle in Børsen today are Danish ministers Christina Egelund and Morten Bødskov, Rector David Dreyer Lassen, Director Morten Beck Høyer, Director Morten Langager, CEO Thomas Senderovitz and I as representative of the Novo Nordisk Foundation

Europe is world-class at seeding innovation but poor at owning it as it grows. We need to change that! 💪🏼 Here's why, and how: Without a stronger domestic growth-stage ecosystem, we are essentially exporting the economic upside and long-term ownership of our own climate champions to foreign markets. Today, we at World Fund published our latest report: “The Series B Funding Gap in European Climate Tech: Key Market Insights.” The report quantifies a structural “missing middle” in European venture, the early-growth capital needed to take deep tech and hardware-heavy climate solutions from prototype to production. What we found: 1. Europe’s average Series B is $35.2M, more than 20% smaller than the US ($45.5M) 2. Europe accumulated a $13.5B Series B shortfall vs the US, an annual deficit of $2.7B 3. Only 15% of European Seed-backed climate tech companies reach Series B, vs 25% in the US 4. As rounds get larger, European participation drops sharply, by $250M+, nearly half of capital is foreign What we believe it will take to fix it: 1. Mobilising institutional capital (pensions, insurers, banks), supported by regulatory reform 2. Building more mid-sized European growth funds that can consistently lead $25–100M rounds 3. Expanding blended finance models that crowd in private capital at scale If Europe wants climate leadership, energy sovereignty, resilient supply chains, and the economic upside of the clean industrial revolution, we need to close the Series B gap. Special thanks to all those who contributed including Almi Invest, Cleantech for Europe, Cleantech Scandinavia, European Investment Fund (EIF), EIFO, Innovate UK, Tesi, and Dealroom.co. 👇 Read the full report in the link in the comments

European Commission Startup and Scaleup Strategy 1. Ambitious EU Commitment - On 28 May 2025, the European Commission adopted the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy to place firms at the center of EU competitiveness. - By closing the innovation gap, the Strategy aims to make Europe the preferred location for launching tech ventures, countering a trend where startups often relocate to North America. 2. Tackling Barriers - Despite strengths in research and talent, the EU hosts only 8 % of global scaleups, whereas North America accounts for 60 %. - It also captures only 5 % of venture capital compared to 52 % in the US. The Strategy targets financial, regulatory, and administrative obstacles—such as fragmented markets, complex compliance requirements—that push startups abroad. 3. Five Pillars - Regulation: Simplify and harmonize rules to reduce time-to-market and compliance costs. - Finance: Mobilise public and private funding by deepening capital markets and expanding venture programs. - Market Uptake: Strengthen single market integration by removing cross-border hurdles. - Talent: Boost mobility of high-skilled workers with aligned visas, accelerated recognition of qualifications, mass reskilling, and upskilling programs. - Infrastructure: Expand access to coworking spaces, accelerators, digital networks, and mentoring supports. 4. Integrated with the Competitiveness Compass - The Strategy aligns with key initiatives under the Competitiveness Compass—such as the Savings and Investments Union, Single Market Strategy, and Union of Skills—to ensure coherent action across finance, regulation, and workforce policies. 5. Implementation Roadmap - The Commission launched the European Startup and Scaleup Forum for stakeholder consultations; meetings on 17 February and 25 April 2025 addressed funding gaps and regulatory hurdles, with more sessions planned throughout 2025. A factsheet, Q&A, and press release guide Member States and partners toward actions such as national startup hubs and regulatory sandboxes. So What? - Founders & Innovators: Simplified rules and better funding reduce administrative burdens and allow startups to scale within Europe rather than relocating overseas. - Investors: A harmonized EU market and clearer exit paths enhance confidence, potentially increasing deal flow and returns across member states. - Policymakers: Aligning skills and visa frameworks can create quality jobs, bolster regional innovation ecosystems, and reduce the “brain drain” to non-EU hubs. - EU Economy: Enabling domestic scaleups fosters new value chains, boosts productivity, and strengthens leadership in emerging sectors such as AI, green tech, and digital health. - Global Impact: A stronger “Choose Europe” narrative can attract more founders, investors, and talent, elevating the EU’s competitiveness on the world stage. https://lnkd.in/eMQ7ih26

What are the most important steps to close Europe’s innovation and technology gap? I asked this question yesterday in Brussels while moderating a panel debate at the launch of a new report on European deep tech innovation from DTU and Hello Tomorrow. Here are my five key takeaways. Europe needs to: • Create a truly single market • Align financial infrastructures – from government instruments to private capital • Use public procurement more strategically to support on the market side for startups and scaleups • Establish sandboxes at universities to remove state aid regulatories for startups in their first years. • Strengthen pan-European university networks to increase collaboration and mobility across Europe A sincere thank you to commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva for an inspiring keynote and to Dr. Christian Ehler, Jekaterina Novikova, Marianne Thellersen and Rolf Kjærgaard for valuable insights in the debate. The new report provides concrete recommendations for the implementation of the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy. It draws on the insights from researchers, investors, industry leaders, and policymakers at the ASCEND Innovation Conference held in November 2025 under the Danish EU-presidency - hosted by DTU - Technical University of Denmark in collaboration with Uddannelses- og Forskningsministeriet, and co-founded by the European Union the Novo Nordisk Foundation . You can find the report here: https://ascend.dtu.dk/ Photos: Elio Germani

𝗡𝘂𝗾𝗹𝗲𝘂𝘀: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 At 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗢𝗳𝗳 in Zagreb, I witnessed something powerful: students, innovators, and VCs united around a shared vision to build Croatia's next unicorns. As someone who founded a startup here in 2013—when innovation hubs were practically non-existent—seeing Nuqleus thrive fills me with genuine optimism. "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀."  — Anna Stodolkiewicz, CFA, European Investment Fund This quote captures a painful truth about Europe's innovation challenge. But Nuqleus is writing a different story. While Europe has long struggled to transform world-class research into market-leading products, Nuqleus is proving there's another way. They're not just powering Croatia's deep-tech sector—they're pioneering a new model for European innovation. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁: • They connect top researchers directly with industry leaders and startups • They focus on building companies that create real-world impact, not just academic papers • They're bridging the critical gap between scientific discovery and commercial success With their proven track record and clear mission, Nuqleus is helping Europe transition from "ideas trapped in labs" to "products that change the world." This is how we close the innovation gap. This is how we build the future. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦'𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭? 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯? --- #Nuqleus #EuropeanInnovation #DeepTech #StartupEcosystem #Innovation #Croatia #TechLeadership https://lnkd.in/e_mcJt6q