The European Commission considers that the deployment of KETs is highly relevant for both industrial competitiveness and for responding to today’s great societal challenges. Therefore, it published a Communication in which calls for unleashing the huge potential of these technologies for jobs.

The Communication on Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) published by the European Commission presents its strategy to boost the industrial production of KETs-based products, e.g. innovative products and applications of the future. The strategy aims to keep pace with the EU’s main international competitors, restore growth in Europe and create jobs in industry, at the same time addressing today's burning societal challenges. This is also one of the objectives included in the proposal for the new EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 presented in November 2011.

The global market in KETs, which comprises micro- and nanoelectronics, advanced materials, industrial biotechnology, photonics, nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing systems, is forecast to grow from €646 billion to over €1 trillion between 2008 and 2015, according to the Commission. Vice-President Antonio Tajani, responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship underlined that, most innovative products nowadays, whether it is the smart phone or electric car, incorporate several KETs simultaneously, as single or integrated parts. But KETs can become a real job machine which we so dearly need today.

Europe is a global leader in KETs research and development with a global share in patent applications of more than 30%. Despite this, the EU is not translating its dominant R&D base into the production of goods and services needed to stimulate growth and jobs. This is why the Commission calls for a European effort to boost KETS.