The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the successor to the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme 2007-2013 (CIP). The CIP is the main EU budgetary instrument targeting competitiveness outside the research and skills areas. The consultation which will be open until 4 February 2011 will gather stakeholders' opinions on what the priorities of future competitiveness and innovation EU funding should be.

The public consultation on competitiveness and innovation EU funding is part of an impact assessment and of a broader reflection on the next financial multiannual framework of the European Union after 2013. The scope and objectives of the future programmes are not yet decided, but the public consultation will help to design a possible successor to the current Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP 2007-2013).

This survey is addressed to any organisations or individuals who wish to give their views on how a possible successor to the CIP might be structured and what its priorities should be, including enterprises that are beneficiairies of the CIP, business and innovation support providers, national, regional and local public administrations as well as financial organisations.

The current CIP 2007-2013 Programmes consists of three operational programmes, the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP), the ICT - Policy Support Programme (ICT-PSP) and the Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) programme, with specific objectives each.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP)

• better access to finance for SMEs through venture capital and loan guarantees;
• providing services to business via the "Enterprise Europe Network” centres in and beyond the EU;
• support for innovation;
• eco-innovation pilot and market replication projects for the testing of innovative technologies.

ICT - Policy Support Programme (ICT-PSP)

• funding pilot and networking actions;
• stimulating the demand for ICT based innovation in areas of public interest such as ICT for health, ageing and inclusion, energy efficiency and smart mobility, and improved public services;
• analysing, monitoring and benchmarking the uptake of digital services in Europe.

Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) programme

• addressing the non-technology barriers to sustainable energy deployment;
• facilitating investments in sustainable energy projects at the local and regional level;
• developing training and qualification schemes for energy efficiency and renewable energy in the building sector;
• supporting development and implementation of the EU sustainable energy policy.