Strengthening interdisciplinarity in the European Innovation Council

The leading universities of science and technology from all over Europe united within CESAER reaffirm their strong support for the European Innovation Council (EIC) and its unique, positive, and impactful role in shaping the European research and innovation landscape.

• The position is available here for download and dissemination (PDF).

With this position released today, we emphasise the strategic importance of interdisciplinarity within the EIC. Europe has the potential to create and scale more deeptech start-ups—but too many opportunities are missed because key expertise is not always engaged at the right time.

A more problem-driven approach must be adopted—one that bridges challenges to be solved with new knowledge and technology. Problem owners must be able to work alongside technology talents and experts, business strategists, and social scientists to combine challenges and technological solutions.

To achieve this, we recommend:

1. fostering interdisciplinarity in EIC funding schemes,
2. bringing additional interdisciplinary expertise into EIC Board, and increase its autonomy,
3. designing calls and funding to foster impactful innovation,
4. giving researchers and innovators central role in strategic planning,
5. enhancing support for interdisciplinary ventures, and
6. developing metrics and frameworks to support interdisciplinarity.

“The EIC exists to help Europe produce and scale more deep-tech start-ups—and that means staying focused on what drives success. Bringing in problem owners early—whether from industry, government, or civil society—helps ensure we’re solving the right problems with the right mix of expertise. Looking at the technical and all the different commercial aspects together naturally focusses on the need for a challenge-led interdisciplinary team to maximise the chance of success. By using interdisciplinarity strategically, Europe can sharpen its innovation capabilities and boost its global competitiveness.”

— Tim Bedford (Vice-President of CESAER, Co-Chair of Task Force Innovation and Associate Principal for Research and Innovation at the University of Strathclyde)

“The BMBF funded Cluster4future NeuroSys initiative at RWTH Aachen is a prime example of how interdisciplinarity drives meaningful innovation. By combining expertise from neuroscience, microelectronic engineering, computer science, ethics, social sciences and economics—and working closely with industry—we created a dynamic environment where breakthrough technologies can thrive. This ecosystem led to the launch of RooflineAI, proving that deep-tech innovation gains real traction when societal, ethical, and market dimensions are considered from day one. Interdisciplinary collaboration is not just an asset—it’s the engine of transformative progress.”

— Aylin Coldu (EU Research Officer at RWTH Aachen)

“At KTH, we see time and again that innovation flourishes when interdisciplinary collaboration is built into the process from the very start. Our approach—bringing together expertise in technology, business, regulation, and societal needs—helps transform promising research into real-world solutions. The support system we have built enables diverse teams to identify market opportunities, navigate complex challenges, and scale with impact. The case study we have contributed to this CESAER position demonstrate how interdisciplinarity isn’t just beneficial—it’s essential to successful innovation.”

— Viktor Olsson (Internationalisation Lead at KTH Innovation)

For more information, contact our Information & Communication Officer Justine Moynat.