IPCEI Conference | Paris January 2026

On 15 January 2026, european economics brought together in Paris dozens of industrial companies, innovative start-ups and public funding experts for its annual event dedicated to Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs).

In a context marked by rapid technological disruption and intensifying global competition, the 2026 edition focused on a central issue: Europe’s ability to translate its industrial ambitions into concrete innovations, development and production capacities, fast and coordinated projects.

IPCEIs and European industrial policy: an acknowledged paradigm shift

In her opening address, Narjiss HADDAOUI, Managing Director and Partner at european economics, positioned Important Projects of Common European Interest within the broader evolution of European industrial policy.

The European Union is entering a phase in which it faces new strategic dependencies, signalling a structural shift in globalisation: energy, electronic components, critical raw materials, pharmaceutical active ingredients and, increasingly, data, knowledge and computing capacity.

In this context, the control and valorisation of intellectual property, particularly that generated by artificial intelligence, is becoming a major issue of industrial sovereignty.

These initiatives now represent one of the main instruments underpinning the emergence of a genuine industrial policy. They reflect a paradigm shift: from an economy primarily based on free trade to one guided by a coordinated European industrial strategy, supported by reinforced public and private funding and joint initiatives involving multiple Member States to strengthen strategic value chains.

IPCEIs: a central instrument under time constraints

Marc ISABELLE, Founder and CEO of european economics, then provided a detailed overview of the IPCEI framework and the practical conditions required for project success.

IPCEIs are now one of the principal State aid frameworks enabling the support of large-scale cross-border industrial projects covering both R&D and innovative production capacities.

The process follows a structured approach:

• discussion and validation at Member State level,
• national pre-selection,
• European matchmaking phase,
• notification to the Commission for projects requesting more than €50 million in public aid.

Within this framework, the European Commission has also established the Joint European Forum for IPCEI, a coordination platform between the Commission and Member States aimed at strengthening the coherence and speed of the instrument.

Project applications are structured around three core elements:

• the Project Portfolio, designed in particular to demonstrate breakthrough innovation,
• the Funding Gap Questionnaire, a financial tool demonstrating the necessity of aid and enabling the calculation of the requested support,
• and the Prodcom analysis, intended to assess the competitive impact of the aid.

Discussions highlighted a major point of attention: the speed of the process, from pre-selection through to effective project financing. Acceleration is required for these projects to become a decisive lever for European industrial competitiveness.

2026: what opportunities for project promoters?

Discussions and the Q&A session confirmed that IPCEIs are entering a particularly dynamic new phase. In the very short term, several calls for expression of interest are open or expected. In the longer term, new strategic orientations are beginning to be deployed, including the European Competitiveness Fund within the Commission’s post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework.

New IPCEIs already launched

• IPCEI Advanced Semiconductor Technologies (AST)
• IPCEI Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• IPCEI Compute Infrastructure Continuum (CIC)

New IPCEIs endorsed at European level

• IPCEI Biotechnologies (Biotech)
• IPCEI Circular Advanced Materials (CAM)
• IPCEI Innovative Nuclear Technologies (Nuclear)

New IPCEIs under discussion

• IPCEI Clean, Connected & Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV)
• IPCEI Critical Raw Materials (CRM)

Exploratory IPCEIs

• IPCEI Quantum Computing
• IPCEI Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)
• IPCEI Low CO₂ Industries
• etc.

Download our calendar of upcoming IPCEI deadlines

For interested organisations, several key messages emerged:

• IPCEIs represent a major lever to finance R&D and first industrial deployment where the funding gap is robustly calculated and demonstrated.
• Projects must clearly demonstrate their cross-border nature, innovative character and capacity to generate European spillovers.
• Early preparation and a detailed understanding of the regulatory framework are critical to securing and optimising funding.

A community mobilised around Europe’s industrial challenges

As in previous editions, the diversity of participants, large corporates, innovative SMEs and institutional stakeholders, fostered in-depth exchanges that continued during the networking reception.

The 2026 conference confirmed the strong interest of numerous participants in IPCEIs, reinforcing their role as a structuring instrument of European industrial policy, provided that their rules are mastered and implementation constraints anticipated.

european economics is strengthening its support capabilities for project promoters, from opportunity identification through to Commission notification, in order to transform these instruments into concrete industrial projects serving European competitiveness.

Are you preparing an IPCEI project or assessing your public funding options in Europe? Contact us.