Europeiska kommissionens förslag till en förordning om innovation

Europe needs to create a business environment that promotes innovation. Europe also needs to make sure that creativity and inventiveness is taken from drawing boards and laboratories to market.

The proposal for a European Innovation Act does take important steps in that direction, not the least concerning the needs of the knowledge economy. The focus on strategic handling of intangible assets and the proposals on IP backed finance are keys to a competitive innovation environment in Europe.

At EU-level the Commission and EUIPO are working on issues relating to IP backed finance. The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise welcomes this initiative, it is especially welcome in relation to startups and scaleups. In a time when intangible assets represent a crucial part of the value of companies, finance cannot focus on tangible assets alone.

The most important part of the proposal is the handling of intellectual property rights in public procurement. This is especially important for innovative startups and scaleups. If they lose their intangible assets due to demands from public buyers, they may be put out of business.