Evaluation of ERDF funding for research and innovation

Investments in modern laboratories, equipment, and infrastructure fosters RTDI. The money for many of these investments comes from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The aim is to strengthen innovation in Europe's regions and thus increase competitiveness. Are these goals being achieved? What impact does the funding have on regional development? 

The European Commission commissioned Prognos and partners to evaluate ERDF funding for research and development in the period from 2014 to 2020. Prognos had already examined the previous funding period.

Evaluation of ERDF funding for research and development

The evaluation assessed the impact of ERDF funding in the field of research, technological development and innovation (RTDI) in the 2014–2020 funding period. The focus was on:

• The implementation and efficiency of the eight central funding instruments.
• The thematic focus of the regions within the strategies for smart specialisation (S3).
• Synergies with other EU funding programmes (e. g. Horizon 2020).
• Contributions to knowledge production, technological progress and regional development.
• Differences in impact depending on the level of regional development. 

These are the five key findings of our evaluation:

1. Positive impact on RTDI: During the 2014-2020 period, the ERDF programmes invested 59 billion euros to enhance RTDI. This funding primarily benefited individual beneficiaries through non-repayable grants, emphasizing research initiatives within businesses, and science- industry collaboration. The ERDF's efforts have notably resulted in the production of 138,000 publications and the registration of 7,000 patents, significantly contributing to advancements in knowledge and technology.
2. Smart specialisation worked, but there is room for improvement: S3 helped with thematic focus, but frequent problems included overly broad priorities and weak regional strategies.
3. Strong regional differences: Less developed regions benefited most, but often found it more difficult to implement funding. Experienced administrations achieved better results.
4. Synergies with other EU programmes remained limited: Despite potential, there were hardly any systematic synergies with Horizon 2020, mainly due to administrative hurdles and different objectives.
5. Non-financial obstacles limited impact: Bureaucracy, skills shortages and rigid requirements (e. g. in public procurement law) hampered project implementation, particularly in the case of infrastructure measures.

Further development of ERDF funding in the field of research and innovation

The main insights from the evaluation of the 2014–2020 ERDF funding period led to several important recommendations for future action. These suggestions are designed to enhance the effectiveness, focus, and impact of ERDF investments in RTDI: 

1. More targeted funding through smart specialisation: S3 strategies should prioritise more clearly, focus more on specific topics and be more closely aligned with regional strengths.
2. Stronger synergies with other EU programmes: Better coordination and combination of the ERDF with Horizon Europe and the European Social Fund Plus.
3. More and smarter use of financial instruments: In addition to grants, loans, equity investments and hybrid forms should also be used, especially for innovation exploitation.
4. Strengthen skills development and talent retention: Measures to secure skilled labour, especially in less developed regions.
5. Simplify administration and increase systemic impact: Reduce bureaucracy and make administrative processes more flexible.

Our approach

The following methods were used for the evaluation:

• Documentary analysis and literature review;
• Interviews with beneficiaries and stakeholders;
• Novel AI-based explorations (e. g., impact tracing approach)
• Case studies, with Prognos focusing on the topics of ‘infrastructure investments for research’, ‘science – industry collaborative RTDI projects’ and ‘research activities in companies’; and
• In-depth country analyses, with Prognos focusing on funding in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and Ireland.

Links and downloads

To the study (PDF)

To the previous study 

Project team: Felix Ginzinger, Dr Georg Klose, Dr Justyna Kramarczyk, Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer, Paulius Mater-Pranskevicius, Johanna Thierstein, Markus Zock 

Last update: 25.11.2025