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The European Technology & Innovation Platform on Wind Energy (ETIPWind) has released a new strategy to maximise the impact of EU funding for wind energy research and innovation. The sector urges the EU to create a dedicated European Fund for Wind Research & Competitiveness in the next EU budget to protect the competitiveness of Europe’s wind industry and ensure clean tech sovereignty.
On 8 April, at the WindEurope Annual Event in Copenhagen, ETIPWind launched its latest report, From Innovation to Industrial Competitiveness. The report outlines a joint European strategy for wind research, developed in collaboration with industry, academia, and national governments.
Wind energy remains a pillar of Europe’s clean tech sector. It supports over 370,000 jobs and contributes more than €52 billion to EU GDP. Nearly all turbines installed in Europe—99%—are made in Europe. The sector is expanding fast, with over €11 billion currently being invested in new and upgraded factories.
Despite this, installations are falling short. In 2024, only 13 GW of new wind capacity was added in the EU—far below the 35 GW per year needed to reach the EU’s 2030 target of 425 GW.
Research and innovation are essential to accelerate deployment, scale manufacturing, and reduce costs. Public funding must target automation, faster installation methods, and scalable designs, along with supply chain and infrastructure investments. However, current EU R&I support lacks the right tools and policies to turn Europe’s academic strength into industrial impact.
ETIPWind identifies five key challenges:
- Insufficient R&I funding for wind energy
- Fragmented funding across programs
- Lack of strategic focus
- Excessive bureaucracy
- An underdeveloped financial support ecosystem
The report recommends a centralised, technology-specific fund under the next EU budget (2028–2034). The proposed European Fund for Wind Research & Competitiveness should serve as a one-stop-shop for R&I funding, from early-stage research to deployment.
The Fund should deliver at least €600 million per year in EU and national funding. It must also simplify administrative procedures and implement the sector’s common strategy to strengthen industrial competitiveness and energy security.
The ETIPWind Chair, Adrian Timbus (Vice-President Portfolio and Market strategy, Hitachi Energy), said: “This report shows wind energy can become the pillar of Europe’s industrial competitiveness and energy security agenda. There is great consensus between the political will and the industry needs. We need to build on this momentum to ensure wind is a top priority in Europe’s industrial strategy and that we invest massively in innovation and industrialisation of wind power solutions. We must strengthen and formalise the collaboration between the wind sector, the European Commission, and the Member States.”.
