COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Second annual report on key findings from the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions The 2025 Annual Single Market and Competitiveness Report
Date: 2025-01-29
Institutions: Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, European Commission
Subjects: EU energy policy, circular economy, competitiveness, digital transformation, economic growth, green economy, innovation, investment, research and development, single market

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 29.1.2025  SWD(2025) 12 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Second annual report on key findings from the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions The 2025 Annual Single Market and Competitiveness Report {COM(2025) 26 final} - {SWD(2025) 11 final}  
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
1. Executive summary ........................................................................................ 2 

2. Green transition of industrial ecosystems ...................................................... 5 

2.1 

Industry efforts to transition to sustainable industry ...................................... 5 

2.1.1.  Adoption of green technologies ............................................................. 5 

2.1.2.  Private-sector investment in the green transition .................................... 7 

2.1.3.  The green tech start-up ecosystem........................................................ 9 

2.1.4.  Green technology-related patents ........................................................10 

2.1.5.  Green technology production ...............................................................12 

2.2 

Framework conditions for the green transition ............................................ 14 

2.2.1. EU investment in the green transition ......................................................14 

2.2.2. Supply and demand for skills to support the green transition ......................15 

2.3 

The impact of industrial ecosystems on the environment .............................. 17 

3. Digital transition of industrial ecosystems .................................................... 19 

3.1. 

Industry efforts to digitalise ...................................................................... 19 

3.1.1.  Adoption of digital technologies ............................................................19 

3.1.2.  Private-sector investment in the digital transition ...................................20 

3.1.3.  The digital tech start-up ecosystem ......................................................22 

3.1.4.  Digital technology-related patents ........................................................24 

3.1.5.  Digital technology production ...............................................................26 

3.2.  Framework conditions for the digital transition ............................................ 28 

3.2.1.  Public investment ...............................................................................28 

3.2.2.  Supply and demand for advanced digital skills .......................................29 

3.3.  The impact of digital technologies on productivity ........................................ 31 

4.  Industrial transition composite indicators .................................................. 33 

4.1.  Progress on the green transition to support sustainable competitiveness ......33 

4.2.  Digital transition supporting sustainable competitiveness ...........................35 

5.  Appendix .................................................................................................... 37 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Executive summary  

The  European  Monitor  of  Industrial  Ecosystems  (EMI)  aims  to  inform  EU  policymakers, 
industry, and Member States about developments in the twin transition across industrial 
ecosystems1, and about EU competitiveness. 

This  annex  contains  the  second  annual  report  on  EMI  findings.  For  greater  clarity,  the 
analysis  is  now  divided  into  two  sections  on  the  ‘green  transition’  and  the  ‘digital 
transition’, each showing: a) industry efforts, b) framework conditions and c) the impact 
on environmental and productivity. The third section collates these results in the form of 
composite indicators indicating overall progress in each industrial ecosystem.  

1 The definition of industrial ecosystems is provided in the 2020 EU industrial strategy. The methodology used to define 
each  industrial  ecosystem  and  the  NACE  rev.2  that  each  ecosystem  encompasses  are  outlined  in  the  2021  Annual 
Single Market Report. 

2 

 
 
 
 
The key findings of this year’s analysis are that on the green transition: 

across  industry,  progress  has  been  mixed  in  the  rate  of  adoption  of  green 

technologies, with notable efforts made in the aerospace and defence sector; 

the  level  of  private-sector  investments  in  the  green  transition  remains  relatively  low 

in the majority of industrial ecosystems; 

the  share  of  green  tech  start-ups  rose  significantly  from  2015  to  2022  but  fell  in 

2023; 

the  EU  has  become  a  net  importer  of  key  green  technologies,  notably  renewable 

energy technologies and energy-saving technologies; 

both the supply and demand for green transition skills remains low; 

EU industrial ecosystems are making uneven progress in reducing their impact on the 
environment,  with  faster  reductions  in  service-based  ecosystems  than  in 
manufacturing. 

On the digital transition: 

2023  witnessed  a  leap  forward  in  the  adoption  of  several  advanced  digital 
technologies.  Aerospace  and  defence,  electronics  and  the  cultural  and  creative 
industries recorded an average increase of over 10% since last year. 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
However, the level of private-sector investment in the digital transition remains low. 
Nearly half of businesses invest less than 1% of their annual turnover in advanced 
digital technologies. 

The  number  of  digital  tech  start-ups  increased  significantly  in  2023,  particularly  in 

service industrial ecosystems.  

The  EU’s  share  of  global  digital  patent  applications  is  falling  but  is  still  on  par  with 

global competitors. 

The share of digital technology-based goods in total EU production has risen by 28% 

since 2011 but is still relatively low at 4.83%. 

Unlike  for  green  skills,  there  is  much  higher  demand  for  advanced  digital  skills.  The 
supply  of  professionals  with  advanced  digital  skills  increased  from  18-20% 
between 2022 and 2024. 

The adoption of digital technologies has led to significant productivity increases  over 
the  past  year,  particularly  in  electronics,  aerospace  &  defence,  and  health. 
Robotics  recorded  the  greatest 
in  manufacturing 
ecosystems and artificial intelligence in services-based ecosystems. 

impact  on  productivity 

Green transition of industrial ecosystems 

2.1 

Industry  efforts 

to 

transition 

to  sustainable 

industry 

-  Across  industry,  progress  has  been  mixed  in  the  rate  of  adoption  of  green 
technologies,  with  the  largest  in  the  aerospace  and  defence  and  energy-intensive 
ecosystems.  

-  Overall,  the  level  of  private-sector  investment  in  the  green  transition  remains 
relatively  low.  In  terms  of  venture  capital  investment  in  green  transition-related 
technologies,  investment  levels  are  below  US  levels,  but  the  EU  maintains  its  lead 
position in venture capital investments in clean production technologies.  

- The share of green tech start-ups rose significantly from 2015 to 2022, but fell in 
2023. 

-  In  terms  of  green  technology  generation,  the  EU  continues  to  demonstrate 
global  strength  in  its  share  of  worldwide  patent  applications  related  to  the  green 
transition. Energy-intensive industries are notable examples here. 

- The share of green technology-based products in overall EU production increased 
only slightly between 2015 and 2023. 

- Despite this, the EU has become a net importer of key green technologies, notably 
renewable energy technologies and energy-saving technologies. 

This section examines industry efforts in the green transition based on: 

- 

- 

- 

i)  progress 
measures3;  

in  adopting  environmental 

technologies2  and  environmental 

ii)  the  level  of  company  investment  in  the  green  transition,  including  green 
technologies, renewable energy and circular economy solutions;  

iii)  an  analysis  of  how  start-ups  that  provide  environmental  solutions  for 
businesses contribute to the transformation of the industrial value chain;  

2 Such as advanced materials, biotechnology and energy-saving technologies, renewable energy technologies. 
3 Such as saving water, using renewable energy and minimising waste. 

4 

 
 
 
- 

iv) the level of technology generation (green technology-related patents);  

-  v)  information  shedding  light  on  the  production  of  green  technology-based 

products relevant to the manufacturing industries. 

Adoption of green technologies  

This  subsection  presents  the  rate  of  adoption  of  environmental  measures  and  green 
technologies  as  reported  in  the  Eurobarometer  survey  on  SMEs,  resource  efficiency  and 
green markets4. Where data were not available, the project has complemented the gaps 
through a dedicated survey5.  

Industries  across  all  ecosystems  have  adopted  a  range  of  environmental  measures  to 
reduce their environmental impact. The most common resource efficiency actions include 
saving energy (66%), minimising waste (66%) and saving materials (57%). 

Several  manufacturing  ecosystems  made  progress  on  environmental  measures.  In 
aerospace and defence, 26.6% of companies took energy-saving measures and 26.6% 
saved materials. 20% of energy-intensive industries moved to renewable energy and 
22.9% took action to minimise waste.  

However,  service  ecosystems  have  made 
less  progress.  The  most  common 
environmental action taken by this group of ecosystems is to switch to renewable energy.  

Figure  1:  Progress  in  the  adoption  rate  of  environmental  measures  in  industrial  ecosystems 
(percentage  change,  2021-2024)  (highlights  indicate  over  5%  change  in  the  share  of  companies 
taking action) 

Source: Eurobarometer 2024 on resource efficiency and green markets  

4 SMEs, resource efficiency and green markets - October 2024 - - Eurobarometer survey 
(europa.eu) 
5 The EMI survey is an in-house business survey that collects data on the level of change towards the green and digital 
transition  of  European  businesses  across  twelve  industrial  ecosystems  and  gathered  opinions  on  the  related 
investments  and  expected  future  developments.  The  survey  used  computer-assisted  telephone  interviewing,  with  an 
overall sample of 4 000 respondents. 

5 

 
 
 
  
 
When  looking  at  the  adoption  rate  of  environmental  technologies,  some  progress  has 
been  made  in  the  field  of  energy-saving  technologies,  in  particular  in  aerospace  and 
defence  where  89%  of  companies  have  adopted  at  least  some  type  of  technology  and 
energy-intensive  industries  (55%).  There  was  also  progress  on  advanced  materials, 
adopted  by  55%  of  aerospace  and  defence  companies  and  by  33%  of  energy-intensive 
industries. 

However,  again  the  up-take  is  lower  in  services  ecosystems.  The  adoption  rate  in 
most  services  ecosystems  is  below  50%,  except  in  the  cultural  and  creative  industries 
where 54% of businesses adopted recycling technologies.  

Figure 2: Adoption rate by industrial ecosystems of environmental technologies in 2024   

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Source: EMI Enterprise Survey, 2024 

Private-sector investment in the green transition 

This subsection monitors the scale and type of investment in environmental technologies 
and  new  business  models  in  the  EU  and  across  the  industrial  ecosystems.  It  draws  on 
data  sources  such  as  Crunchbase  data6,  an  EMI  survey,  and  the  Eurobarometer  on 
resource efficiency referred to above. Note that data in both surveys include all business 
sizes (SMEs, mid-caps and large firms). 

The  level  of  investment  is  still  relatively  low.  Around  30%  of  businesses  invest 
between  1%  and  5%  of  their  annual  turnover  in  environmental  technologies  and  green 
transition initiatives, around 30% invest less than 1% and 30% are not investing in these 
areas at all. Only three ecosystems invest over 30% of their turnover in green transition 
technologies (though this seems to be concentrated in a few companies): agri-food (16% 

6  The  scope  of  our  analysis  on  green  transition  investments  encompasses  a  range  of  areas  including  advanced 
materials,  energy-saving  technologies,  biotechnology,  clean  production  technologies,  waste  management  solutions, 
carbon capture technologies, and circular industrial business models. 

7 

 
 
 
 
of  businesses),  energy-intensive  industries  (14%  of  businesses)  and  textiles  (11%  of 
businesses). 

Figure 3: Investment in green transition activities 

Source: EMI enterprise survey (2024). Note: For this survey question only social economy organisations have 
been surveyed and not the whole ecosystem. For the health sector, the survey focused on pharmaceutical and 
medical device companies. 

Business  investment  in  the  green  transition  by  businesses  across  the  12  industrial 
ecosystems7  are  estimated  at  approximately  EUR 69 billion.  Short-term 
future 
investment  plans  indicated  in  the  survey  suggest  no  significant  changes  by 
businesses for the coming year.  

Other  financial  solutions,  such  as  venture  capital  investment,  play  a  critical  role  in 
providing  companies,  especially  innovative  start-ups,  with  access  to  capital.  There  is 
higher venture capital investment in the EU in clean production technologies (measured 
as a percentage of GDP in absolute terms) than in other global competitors, but  the US 
is  closing  the  gap.  In  the  other  green  technologies,  including  renewable  energy, 
recycling, energy-saving technologies, and advanced materials, investment is lower in 
the EU despite the EU's relatively strong position in technology generation.  

Figure 4: Ratio of venture capital in the EU/US, 2021-2024 (normalised per GDP) 

7 The EMI project analyses the twin transition of 12 industrial ecosystems and tackles the performance for digital and 
energy-renewables  ecosystems  horizontally,  meaning  both  ecosystems  are  analysed  in    all  industrial  ecosystems 
(https://monitor-industrial-
reports.  For  more 
ecosystems.ec.europa.eu/about/monitoring-framework). 

the  EMI  monitoring 

information  about 

framework,  see 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Source: Technopolis Group based on Crunchbase for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) Note: 
Ratios measured for the period 2021-2024 as a percentage of gross domestic product. 

The green tech start-up ecosystem  

This  section  presents  the  share  of  green  tech  start-ups  in  services  and  manufacturing 
ecosystems and assesses the trends over the 2015-2022 period. The data is taken from 
Crunchbase. 

EU green tech start-ups are developing technologies that can be implemented by service 
and  manufacturing  businesses.  They  are  collaborating  with  manufacturers  and  service 
providers  to  incorporate  cleaner  production  processes,  such  as  using  bio-based  or 
recycled  materials,  implementing  solutions  to  optimise  energy  use,  and  deploying 
internet  of  things  (IoT)-enabled  sensors  to  monitor  and  minimise  their  environmental 
impact.  Many  of  these  start-ups  are  also  working  on  eco-friendly  packaging  solutions, 
alternative energy sources and solutions that facilitate the reuse of products, fostering a 
more circular approach to manufacturing.  

The  share  of  EU  green  tech  start-ups  has  risen  significantly  from  2015  to  2022.  This 
reflects  the  way  in  which  green  tech  solutions  have  become  more  integral  across 
industry. However, over the past year there has been  a decline in the percentage of 
green tech start-ups, falling by 8 percentage points to around 27% for manufacturing 
ecosystems and by 4 percentage points to around 17% for service ecosystems.  

This drop parallels the  fall in  the  overall  volume  of EU  venture  capital in 2023, which is 
also  identified  in  the  2025  Annual  Single  Market  and  Competitiveness  Report  (ASMCR). 
Our  analysis  shows  a  particularly  sharp  decrease  in  venture  capital  and  private  equity 
funding  in  green  tech  companies  from  2022  to  2023  in  the  mobility,  tourism  and  agri-
food  ecosystems8.  As  highlighted  in  the  2025  ASMCR,  the  fact  that  the  other  major 
economies such as the US offer favourable funding environments (as illustrated by Figure 
4 above) means EU green tech companies have an incentive to relocate or seek funding 
abroad. 

Figure 5: Green tech start-ups supporting industrial ecosystems 

8  For  a  visual  representation  of  these  results,  see  the  EMI  Data  Dashboard:  https://monitor-industrial-
ecosystems.ec.europa.eu/data-dashboard. 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Source: Technopolis Group based on Crunchbase for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 

The industrial ecosystems that have seen the highest increase in green start-ups include 
importance  of 
in  particular,  due  to  the 
energy-intensive 
biotechnology. In the mobility, transport and automotive ecosystem, green tech start-ups 
tend  to  be  in  the  electric  vehicle  and  sustainable  mobility  service  sectors.  In  some 
ecosystems, there are many fewer green start-ups, notably in aerospace and defence.  

increasing 

industries 

Green technology-related patents 

This  subsection  analyses  technology  generation  based  on  transnational  patent  data 
provided  by  the  European  Patent  Office  (EPO)’s  Worldwide  Patent  Statistical  Database9, 
with the aim of assessing the EU’s innovation capacity and competitiveness.  

In  terms  of  worldwide  green  technologies  patent  applications,  in  2021,  the  EU's  share 
(21.7%)  was  broadly  level  with  Japan  (25.2%),  China  (21.9%)  and  the  US  (19.5%). 
Since then, however, it has fallen steadily, as has the share for Japan and the US. By 
contrast,  China’s  share  of  global  patents  in  green  technologies  has  increased 
significantly, and it is now head-to-head with the EU on this measure. 

9 Disclaimer: note that using patent data has some drawbacks. First, some companies may pursue other strategies to 
market  their  inventions  beyond  patenting  them.  Second,  the  volume  of  transnational  patents  filed  by  each  country 
does  not  necessarily  indicate  the  quality  of  the  patents.  Nevertheless,  patent  data  is  a  widely  used  measure  for 
tracking technological  development activities.  By  focusing  on  transnational  patents  (which  are more expensive to  file 
and maintain), we ensure that these patents are valid in more than one national market and are worth the investment 
needed to protect it. 

10 

 
 
  
 
Figure 6: Global share of patent applications in green technologies 

Source: Fraunhofer ISI, based on EPO PATSTAT for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 
Note: 2021 data for green technologies defined based on CPC Y-classes are estimates 

On  the  specific  technology  fields,  the  EU  has  maintained  a  dominant  position  in 
renewable  energies  globally,  especially  in  wind  power  (some  61%  of  all  global  patent 
applications)  and  other  renewable  energies  such  as  geothermal  or  biomass-based 
processes (28.5%). The EU also maintains its lead in recycling technologies (26.5%). In 
solar  power,  however,  China  has  overtaken  the  EU  to  reach  almost  half  of  all  global 
patents.  Similarly,  in  energy-saving  technologies,  the  EU  has  a  lower  global  share  than 
both  the  US  and  China,  with  China  having  a  60.6%  share.  The  EU  has  lost 
considerable  ground  in  both  of  these  technology  fields  since  2005,  falling  by 
around 20 percentage points on each measure. 

Figure 7: Global share of patent applications by specific green transition technology field 

Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology

Other (geothermal, hydropower, biomass)

Energy Saving Technologies

Wind Power

Solar Power

Renewable Energy Technologies

Recycling technologies

Biotechnology

Clean production technologies

60,63%

61,31%

35,81%

28,52%

46,61%

32,32%

26,45%

41,59%

37,71%

0,00%

10,00% 20,00% 30,00% 40,00% 50,00% 60,00% 70,00%

USA

South Korea

Japan

EU27

China

Source: Fraunhofer ISI, based on EPO PATSTAT for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 
Note:  2021  data  for  green  technologies  defined  based  on  CPC  Y-classes  are  estimates 

The  data  also  shows  that  green  patents  play  a  significant  role  in  the  patent 
portfolios  of  specific  industrial  ecosystems,  accounting  for  over  15%  of  all  patents 

11 

 
 
 
 
in  construction,  energy-intensive  industries,  proximity  and  social  economy  and  tourism, 
and over 10% in aerospace and defence, digital, electronics, mobility and textiles.  

Figure 8: Share of ’green patents‘ in overall patent portfolio by ecosystem 

%
1
6
7
1

,

%
7
8
2
2

,

%
7
7
0
1

,

%
8
9
7

,

%
2
3
0
1

,

%
9
8
8

,

%
6
3
6

,

%
5
2
0
1

,

%
1
6
8

,

%
0
7
9
1

,

%
3
3
6
1

,

%
9
2
2
1

,

%
5
2
1
1

,

%
9
8
7

,

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%

Average 2010-11

Average 2015-16

Average 2020-21

Source:  Fraunhofer  ISI  Analysis  based  on  EPO  PATSTAT  and  Moody’s  ORBIS  for  the  European  Monitor  of 
Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 

However,  with  the  exception  of  tourism,  proximity  and  the  social  economy,  agri-food 
and, to a lesser extent, the electronics ecosystems, the share of green technology for 
patents relative to total patents has stagnated over the past decade. Even these 
industrial ecosystems achieved only half the increase of digital patents.  

Green technology production 

This  subsection  presents  product-level  data  from  Eurostat’s  Prodcom10  database  and 
trade  data  from  UNCOMTRADE.  The  data  enable  an  assessment  of  the  EU’s  capacity  to 
produce  advanced  technologies  and  provide  insights  into  the  EU’s  performance  in 
translating research into technology-based products. The data also help identify potential 
opportunities for the EU to leverage its production capacity  of advanced technologies to 
boost the competitiveness of its industry. 

Across the EU, in 2023, green technology-based goods  represented around 4.5% of the 
EU’s total production of manufactured goods, up from 3.9% in 2012.  

Key green technologies for the production of technology-based products in 2023 included 
renewable  energy  technologies,  energy-saving  technologies  and  advanced  materials. 
Renewable energy technologies have seen a particularly strong increase since 2020.  

Figure 9: Share of green technologies in total EU production, 2015-2023 

10 Prodcom is the title of the EU production statistics for mining, quarrying and manufacturing, i.e. Sections B and C of 
the  Statistical  Classification  of  Economic  Activities  in  the  European  Community  (NACE  Rev.  2).  The  headings  of  the 
Prodcom  list  are  derived  from  the  Harmonised  System  (HS)  or  the  Combined  Nomenclature  (CN),  which  enables 
comparisons to be made between production and trade statistics. The data covers only manufacturing, not services. 

12 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Source: IDEA Consult based on Eurostat [prom] for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 

The  EU’s  trade  balance  in  green  technologies  has  fallen  steadily  from  a  trade 
surplus of around 7% in 2012 to a trade deficit of around 3% in 2022.11 Figure 7 shows 
that  in  2022,  the  EU  was  a  net  exporter  in  recycling  technologies,  biotechnology  and 
clean  production  technologies.  From  2012-2022,  with  the  strong  increase  of  Chinese 
exports,  the  EU  went  from  being  a  net  exporter  to  a  moderate  net  importer  of 
renewable  energy  technologies  and  energy-saving  technologies.  The  net 
importer  status  on  renewable  energy  is  largely  due  to  photovoltaic,  which 
overshadows a more positive though also declining status in other technologies 
such as wind. 

Over  the  same  period,  China  improved  its  trade  balance  by  approximately  40%  in 
renewables and around 30% in energy-saving technologies. Despite being a net exporter 
of  biotechnologies,  the  EU  is  being  outpaced  by  both  the  US  and  more  significantly  by 
China in this domain.  

Figure  10:  Trade  balance  as  a  share  of  overall  trade  volume  in  2022  for  green  technologies: 
comparison between EU-27, China, USA, Japan and South Korea 

Recycling
Technologies

Advanced
Materials and
Nanotechnology

Biotechnology

73,24%

Clean Production
Technologies

Energy Saving
Technologies

Renewable Energy
Technologies

55,28%

58,03%

40,03%

36,42%

36,12%

7,07%

22,91%

1,29%

0,59%

30,04%

11,52%

6,75%

12,94%

19,85%

11,70%

20,37%

-7,45%

-21,63%

-36,51%

-37,01%

-11,44%

-10,26%

-5,87%

-7,06%

3,34%

-10,22%

-12,31%

-35,04%

-48,93%

80,00%

60,00%

40,00%

20,00%

0,00%

-20,00%

-40,00%

-60,00%

China

EU27

Japan

Korea

United States

Source: Fraunhofer ISI, based on EPO PATSTAT for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 
Note: 2021 data for green technologies defined based on CPC Y-classes remain estimates 

Some graphs (and opportunities) can be identified when comparing production and trade 
data  with  the  findings  of  Section  2.1.1.  on  the  adoption  of  green  technologies  by  EU 
companies.  The  adoption  rate  of  recycling  technologies  is  relatively  high,  reaching 
50% in most industrial ecosystems, in particular in energy-intensive-industries.  

11 https://monitor-industrial-ecosystems.ec.europa.eu/about/monitoring-frameworkrade 
13 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
However,  production  data  show  that  recycling  technologies  represent  only  around  0.2% 
of  EU  production,  with  the  share  having  plateaued  over  the  period  2015-2023.  This  is 
compounded by the fact that the EU’s trade surplus in this area has fallen steadily since 
2012.  There  is  therefore  an  opportunity  to  scale  up  the  production  of  recycling 
technologies and slow the fall in the trade surplus. 

2.2 

Framework conditions for the green transition 

- The ecosystems receiving the most EU funding for the green transition were the 
mobility and agri-food ecosystems (ERDF funding) and agri-food (R&I-related funding). 

-  The  data  indicate  a  low  overall  demand  for  green  transition  skills  and  no 
recent changes. Only 1-2% of online job advertisements explicitly seek applicants with 
skills  related  to  the  green  transition.  The  aerospace  and  defence,  construction  and 
electronics  ecosystems  have  the  highest  share  of  professionals  with  green  transition 
skills.  

Framework  conditions  are  the  structural  and  institutional  conditions  that  create  an 
enabling  environment 
to  more  sustainable  and 
to 
environmentally  friendly  practices.  Key  components  of  these  framework  conditions 
include i) EU funding and ii) the availability of skills.   

for  businesses 

transition 

2.2.1. EU investment in the green transition 

This  subsection  focuses  on  EU  funding  that  supports  EU  competitiveness  for  the  green 
transition  in  various  industrial  ecosystems.  It  analyses  funding  from  the  European 
Regional  Development  Fund  and  Horizon  2020/  Horizon  Europe,  the  EU’s  funding 
programme  for  research  and  innovation.  Data  were  collected  from  multiple  sources, 
including Cohesion Open Data12, Kohesio and the Community Research and Development 
Information Service (CORDIS)13 databases.  

Approximately  19%  of  ERDF  funds  allocated  to  industrial  ecosystems  were  spent  on 
projects related to the  green transition. 37% (EUR 3.3 billion) of the  projects co-funded 
by  the  ERDF  in  the  mobility,  transport  and  automotive  ecosystem  were  allocated  to 
support green transition projects and 34% (EUR 5.19 billion) to agri-food. Investment in 
including 
agri-food  reflects 
environmentally friendly farming and food production.  

focus  on  sustainable  practices, 

the  sector’s  dual 

The figure below shows the investment made  using EU research and innovation funding 
in  the  green  transition  in  each  industrial  ecosystem.  In  terms  of  overall  EU  support, 
projects  related  to  the  agri-food  industrial  ecosystem  received  the  highest 
amount  (EUR 675.7 million),  and  projects  in  the  aerospace  and  defence  the  lowest 
(EUR 6.5 million). This can be explained partially by the fact that research and innovation 
in defence is also covered by other funding such as the European Defence Fund. 

12 https://monitor-industrial-ecosystems.ec.europa.eu/about/monitoring-framework 
13 https://cordis.europa.eu/ 

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 11: EU research and innovation funding for the green transition, in EUR million 

Source: Technopolis Group based on Cordis for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 

2.2.2.  Supply  and  demand  for  skills  to  support  the  green 
transition 

Upskilling and reskilling are cornerstones of EU industrial policy. This subsection analyses 
supply and demand on the labour market in terms of green transition skills14. 

Demand  for  professions  draws  on  experimental  data  from  Eurostat/Cedefop  (online  job 
vacancies  (OJA)  data15)  to  provide  the  level  of  detail  needed  for  selected  technologies 
and industrial ecosystems at EU level16. In terms of the supply of professionals in the EU, 
the  analysis  draws  on  LinkedIn  data17  to  produce  a  granular  analysis  at  the  level  of 
advanced technologies and industrial ecosystems.  

Only  a  small  percentage,  between  1-2%  of  online  jobs  advertisements, 
explicitly seek applicants with skills related to the green transition. This suggests 
that,  although  there  is  some  demand  for  green  skills,  it  is  not  yet  mainstream,  though 
companies  often  outsource  these  roles  and  rely  on  subcontractors  to  support  their 
environmental initiatives, so the low percentage may not reflect the full extent of green-
related jobs. 

As  the  figure  below  indicates,  the  industrial  ecosystems  with  the  highest  (though  still 
low)  demand  for  green  skills  have  been  electronics,  construction  and  the  cultural  and 
creative  industries  (the  latter  driven  by  the  sub-activities  of  architecture  and  design). 
Between  2023  and  2024,  only  four  industrial  ecosystems  -  textiles,  energy-intensive 
industries, proximity and the social economy – saw increases. 

14 (Green skills related to environmental protection, the adoption of green technologies or the circular economy). 
15 https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/skills-online-vacancies 
16 In recognition of the limitations in the availability of sufficiently granular skills data to feed into a monitor of green 
transition of industrial ecosystems the EMI study combines data from established secondary sources, new sources and 
methodologies and the enterprise survey to track the supply and demand of transition skills. 
17  Note  that  information  provided  by  the  LinkedIn  users  in  their  profiles  is  based  on  their  self-assessment/self-
evaluation. 

15 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 12: Share of online job advertisements requiring green transition skills 

Source: Technopolis Group based on Cedefop data for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 

The three most common new job titles relevant to the green transition suggested by  an 
analysis of professionals active on LinkedIn and working across all industrial ecosystems 
include environmental engineer, sustainability manager and energy specialist. 

In  addition  to  these  green  skills,  traditional  technical  skills  such  as  combined  heat  and 
power application and materials science, have gained in prominence.  

Moreover,  several  green  transition  skills  stand  out  as  relatively  more  important  across 
industrial  ecosystems  over  the  period  2019-2023.  These  skills  emphasise  technical  and 
infrastructure  development  needs  (water  systems,  energy  efficiency,  solar  energy, 
electric motors, energy performance of buildings); sustainable operations (transportation 
management,  circular  economy);  policy  and  compliance  (environmental  policies  and 
legislation, emission standards and the EU legislative framework); animal and ecosystem 
welfare  (animal  welfare  and  ecology).  Together  these  skills  account  for  90%  of  all 
demand for green skills across all industrial ecosystems18.  

The  average  share  of  professionals  with  skills  related  to  the  green  transition  across  all 
industrial ecosystems was 5.66% in 2024. Aerospace and defence, construction and 
electronics  are  the 
industrial  ecosystems  with  the  highest  share  of 
professionals with green transition skills.  

The  supply  of  green  transition  skills  increased  by  an  average  of  2.1  percentage  points 
from  2022  to  2024.  The  most  significant  increases  were  seen  in  the  aerospace  and 
defence, mobility, transport and automotive, and electronics ecosystems. 

18 https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/skills-online-vacancies 

16 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.3 

The  impact  of  industrial  ecosystems  on  the 

environment 

- EU industrial ecosystems are making uneven progress in reducing their impact on the 
environment,  with  faster  reductions  made  in  service-based  ecosystems  (notably  in  the 
cultural and creative industries) than in manufacturing. 

- The health industrial ecosystem saw the sharpest drop (of around 60%) in material 
extraction over the period 2017-2022, mainly due to the shift towards digitalisation and 
to technological advancements in pharmaceuticals and medical devices. 

-  The  agri-food  ecosystem  has  made  progress  in  reducing  emissions  but  increased  its 
environmental impact in other areas, notably in terms of material extraction, blue water 
consumption and land use. 

This  section  assesses  the  environmental  impact  and  progress  made  from  2017  to  2022 
by industrial ecosystems. It assesses:  

i) 

ii) 

the  level  of  industry  emissions  (based  on  greenhouse  gas  emissions  and 
particulate matter emissions);  

resource  depletion  (based  on  land  use,  material  extraction  and  blue  water 
consumption); and  

iii) 

waste generation (based on damage to the environment).  

The analysis is based on the European Environmental Agency’s environmental indicators 
typology19.  All  values  are  reported  as  three-year  rolling  averages  to  capture  lasting 
trends  and  the  assessment  of  this  impact  is  measured  by  Exiobase20  21  data.  Note  that 
the 
includes 
consumption,  i.e.  the  impact  of  all  industry-related  goods  produced  outside  the  EU  but 
consumed  within  it.  The  focus  is  specifically  on  the  change  in  environmental  impact 
between 2017 and 2022 (the latest year of available data). 

industrial  ecosystems  also 

impact  analysis  of 

full  environmental 

The results indicate that across all industrial ecosystems, service-based ecosystems22 had 
a lower environmental impact than manufacturing ecosystems23. The best performers in 
services-based ecosystems are the cultural and creative industries and in manufacturing 
ecosystems,  in  health.  At  the  other  end  of  the  spectrum,  the  environmental  impact  is 
highest in retail and construction. 

Looking at emissions,  the cultural and creative industries,  especially  traditional sectors 
such  as  publishing,  printing  and  reproduction  of  recorded  media,  reduced  their  impact 
over  the  period  2017-2022  in  terms  of  particulate  matter  emissions,  biodiversity  and 
greenhouse  gas  emissions.  Part  of  the  impact  is  attributable  to  the  significant  drop  in 
2020,  possibly  due  to  the  COVID-19  pandemic,  which  hit  this  ecosystem  particularly 
hard.  The  chemical  industry,  part  of  the  energy-intensive  industry  ecosystem, 

19 https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators 
20 Exiobase is a global, detailed Multi-Regional Environmentally Extended Supply-Use Table (MR-SUT) and Input-Output 
Table (MR-IOT) and combines sectoral data on a range of environmental impacts by sector with international linkages 
through  global  supply  chains.  EMI  results  were  obtained  by  harmonising  and  detailing  supply-use  tables  for  a  large 
number of countries, estimating emissions and resource extractions by industry.  
21 Since Exiobase does not have NACE codes, industrial ecosystems were directly mapped to the Exiobase sectors that 
align most closely with each ecosystem’s activity. Typically this leads to a more conservative measure of an industrial 
ecosystem’s environmental impact, since some economic activity  is carried out in other sectors  and not included. For 
this report, coverage is up to the year 2022. 
22 Service-based ecosystems: tourism, cultural and creative industries and retail. 
23  Manufacturing  ecosystems:  textiles,  aerospace  and  defence,  agri-food,  construction,  electronics,  energy-intensive 
industries, health and mobility-transport-automotive. 

17 

 
 
 
reduced  its  emissions  by  52%  from  1990  to  202124,  but  since  then  the  reduction 
seems to have stalled, stabilising at relatively high values.  

In  terms  of  material  extraction,  the  health  industrial  ecosystem  achieved  the 
highest reduction of over around 60% over the period 2017-2022, mainly due to 
the shift to digitalisation and technological advancements in pharmaceuticals and medical 
devices.  The  ecosystem  with  the  biggest  overall  impact  related  to  material  extraction  is 
agri-food, where there has been an 11% increase.  

The  impact  of  the  agri-food  ecosystem25  on  land  use26  increased  by  over  10% 
between 2017 and 2022, after a period of relative stability between 2012 and 2017. 

None  of  the  industrial  ecosystems  reduced  their  blue  water  consumption.  The 
biggest  overall  consumer  of  blue  water  in  2022  was  agri-food  (up  11%),  followed  by 
energy-intensive industries (up 23%). 

Digital transition of industrial ecosystems 

3.1.  Industry efforts to digitalise  

-  2023  witnessed  a  leap  forward  in  the  rate  of  adoption  of  several  advanced 
digital  technologies,  notably  in  aerospace  and  defence,  electronics,  and  the 
cultural  and  creative  industries.  Cloud  technologies  are  the  most  widely  adopted 
technology  across  all  ecosystems,  followed  by  artificial  intelligence  and  the  internet  of 
things.  

- Investment in digital technologies remains low, though higher than for green 
technologies.  Nearly  half  of  businesses  allocate  less  than  1%  of  their  annual 
turnover to advanced digital technologies, with robotics being a notable exception.  

-  Overall,  the  number  of  digital  tech  start-ups  increased  significantly  in  2023. 
The  share  of  advanced  digital  tech  start-ups  is  higher  in  service  ecosystems  than  in 
manufacturing industries.  

-The EU has a share of about 20.5% in global digital patent applications, roughly 
on par with other global players but on a downward trend. Europe has maintained 
its leadership in terms of patenting in advanced manufacturing. 

-  Across  the  EU-27,  digital  technology-based  goods  accounted  for  4.83%  of  total  EU 
production  in  2023,  up  from  3.75%  in  2012.  The  strongest  increase  was  in  micro-  and 
nanoelectronics and in photonics. 

This section analyses industry action on digitalisation, drawing on:  

i) 

ii) 

iii) 

iv) 

v) 

the uptake of digital technologies;  

private-sector investment in the digitalisation of industrial ecosystems; 

the number of industrial tech start-ups;  

the level of digital technology-related patents;  

the production of digital technology-based products. 

24  CEFIC  (n.d.)  Environmental  performance.  Retrieved  from:  https://cefic.org/a-pillar-of-the-european-
economy/facts-and-figures-of-the-european-chemical-industry/environmental-
performance/. 
25 (The only ecosystem with a significant direct impact in this dimension). 
26 (For crops, forestry and pasture). 

18 

 
 
 
 
 
3.1.1. 

Adoption of digital technologies 

This section presents the results on the rate of adoption of digital technologies from the 
EMI  enterprise  survey  conducted  over  the  period  from  July  to  September  2024  with 
4 000  respondents.  The  figures  on  business  uptake  of  digital  technologies  gives  a 
snapshot of how the European economy is transforming in a broad sense.  

2023  witnessed  a  leap  forward  in  the  adoption  of  several  advanced  digital 
technologies.  Results  show  that  cloud  technologies  are  the  most  widely  adopted 
technologies  across  all  ecosystems,  closely  followed  by  artificial  intelligence  (AI), 
which has recently seen significant growth in the adoption rate in some ecosystems. The 
adoption rate of connected devices (internet of things) also increased notably, although 
it  is  more  specific  to  certain  ecosystems  such  as  electronics,  aerospace,  defence  and 
health.  

The  industrial  ecosystems  that  made  the  most  overall  progress  since  last  year  in 
adopting  digital  technologies  include  aerospace  and  defence,  electronics  and 
the  cultural  and  creative  industries,  all  of  which  saw  an  increase  of  over  10 
percentage points.  

Figure 13: Adoption rate of digital technologies by industrial ecosystem 

Source: EMI enterprise survey 2024 

3.1.2. 

Private-sector investment in the digital transition 

The EMI study monitors private-sector investment made by industrial ecosystems and all 
business sizes in advanced digital technologies. It uses self-reported data on investment 
collected through EMI’s annual enterprise survey. An analysis of the funds raised through 
equity  and  venture  capital  investments  from  2015  to  2023  were  obtained  from 
Crunchbase  data.  The  aim  of  this  research  is  to  help  monitor  the  scale  and  nature  of 

19 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
investment  in  advanced  digital  technologies  in  the  EU-27  and  across  the  industrial 
ecosystems.  

The  level  of  private-sector  investment  in  digital  technologies  is  relatively  low 
but  still  higher  than  for  green  technologies.  Overall,  47%  of  businesses  invest 
less  than  1%  of  their  annual  turnover  in  advanced  digital  technologies.  Some 
30% of companies invest between 1-5% of their turnover. Together, these figures reflect 
a small to moderate level of business investment in advanced digital technologies. 

Investments  are  focused  in  relatively  more  mature  digital  technologies  such  as  cloud 
computing (EUR 137 billion), big data (EUR 90 billion) and IoT (EUR 85 billion), which are 
enablers  of  other  newer  digital  technologies.  However,  the  technologies  that  have 
seen  a  higher  increase  of  investments  are  notably  robotics  and  cloud 
computing.  

In  the  specific  case  of  SMEs,  robotics  is  also  the  technology  in  which  multiple  industrial 
ecosystems  (10  out  of  12)  invest  over  5%  of  their  annual  turnover.  Annual  business 
investment in cloud computing is estimated at EUR 136.56 billion in total, making cloud 
computing  the  technology  with  the  highest  overall  investment  of  all  advanced 
digital technologies analysed in the EMI project.  

When  zooming  into  individual  industrial  ecosystems,  business  investment  in  digital 
technologies  may  well  exceed  5%  of  turnover.  For  instance,  the  electronics  industrial 
ecosystem  stands  out  for  the  high  level  of  investment  in  cloud  computing  (23.19%), 
edge computing (22.73%), robotics (19.05%), IoT (12.28%) and big data (5.88%). 

Figure 14: SME investment in advanced digital technology by type of technology 

20 

 
 
 
 
Source: Enterprise survey (2024) for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (2024) 

There is a discrepancy between the uptake of and investments in AI, indicating 
potential  dependencies.  As  outlined  in  the  previous  section,  there  is  a  significant 
increase  in  the  adoption  rate  of  AI.  At  the  same  time,  59%  of  businesses  reported 
investing less than 1% of their annual turnover in AI.  

AI  is  still  evolving,  and  investing  in  the  development  of  proprietary  AI  systems  is  often 
seen as risky, particularly for SMEs. AI investments are the fifth highest among the  nine 
digital technologies monitored under EMI and estimated at approximately EUR 75 billion. 
Investments in AI are particularly pronounced in retail and construction. However, there 
is  an  increasing  availability  of  AI-based  tools  without  the  need  for  large-scale 
investments.  These  tools  are  typically  more  affordable  and  user-friendly,  making  them 
comparatively more accessible than other advanced digital technologies to companies of 
various sizes. 

21 

 
 
 
 
Figure  15:  Investment  in  advanced  digital  technologies  by  industrial  ecosystem,  specifically  in 
Artificial Intelligence 

100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Nothing

1-5% of annual turnover

11-30% of annual turnover

Less than 1% of annual turnover

6-10% of annual turnover

More than 30% of annual turnover

Source: Enterprise survey (2024) for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 

In the EU, access to venture capital for digital technologies has historically been 
lower than in the US. An analysis using Crunchbase data for 2015-2023 indicates that 
the gap between the EU and US is especially wide in technologies such as blockchain and 
AI. However, the venture capital gap with cloud technology and IoT is closing.  

Figure 16: Average annual growth in the EU–US venture capital gap for digital technologies (2015-
2023) 

Blockchain

Artificial Intelligence

Digital security

Augmented and Virtual reality

Cloud technology

Internet of Things

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Source: Calculations based on Crunchbase for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 

3.1.3. 

The digital tech start-up ecosystem 

Digital  tech  start-ups  are  driving  change  in  specific  industries  by  developing  tailored 
solutions to meet unique challenges and to boost efficiency. By customising technologies, 
these  start-ups  enable  businesses  to  streamline  operations  and  adapt  to  today's 
demands. In health, for instance, start-ups use AI to develop AI-driven diagnostic tools, 
while  in  agri-food,  technology  is  used  to  create  precision  farming  technologies.  They 
also leverage advanced data analytics and machine learning to interpret industry-specific 
data, such as consumer behaviour insights in the retail industry.  

22 

 
 
 
Overall,  there  has  been  a  significant  increase  in  the  share  of  tech  start-ups. 
According to Crunchbase, advanced digital tech start-ups accounted for a higher share 
in  service  ecosystems  than  in  manufacturing  industries  over  the  2015-2023 
period.  The  highest  increase  in  digital  tech  start-ups  over  the  period  2015-2023  has 
been in the cultural and creative industries (45.7%), followed by (in manufacturing) 
health (31.8%), aerospace and defence (31.1%) and electronics (30.1%) (see Figure 18 
below). 

Figure 17: Advanced digital tech start-ups supporting industrial ecosystems 

Source: Technopolis Group based on Crunchbase for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 

23 

 
 
 
 
 
 
3.1.4. 

Digital technology-related patents  

As in the previous chapter, this  section examines transnational patent data provided by 
the EPO’s Worldwide Patent Statistical Database27.  

In terms of patents in the digital domain, in 2021, the EU  had a share of about 
20.5%  of  patents  worldwide, down from  26.5%  in 2005  and  about  24%  in the 
mid-2010s.  The  EU’s  competitiveness  in  technology  generation  remains  on  par  with 
China,  Japan  and  the  United  States.  That  said,  growth  dynamics  in  the  EU,  the  US  and 
Japan have been much slower than the growth seen in China or South Korea. China had 
already reached a share of 24% of patents worldwide in 2020.  

Figure 18: World share of applications for patents in digital technologies 

40,00%

35,00%

30,00%

25,00%

20,00%

15,00%

10,00%

5,00%

0,00%

21,90%
21,52%
21,13%
20,48%

7,59%

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

China

EU27

Japan

South Korea

USA

Source: Fraunhofer ISI, based on EPO PATSTAT for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 
Note: 2021 data for green technologies defined based on CPC Y-classes are estimates 

Europe  has  maintained  its  leadership  in  terms  of  patenting  in  advanced 
manufacturing, with a global share of around 28% in 2021, though this is around 
12 percentage points below the share in 2005. However, in robotics, which used to be 
the  second  strongest  field  for  the  EU  in  terms  of  global  patent  share,  the  EU  has  lost 
almost  45%  of  its  global  share,  with  China  now  filing  a  considerably  higher  share  of 
global  patents.  On  the  upside,  with  26.13%,  the  EU  leads  in  the  share  of  internet  of 
things-related  patents.  On  quantum  computing,  the  EU  ranks  second,  though  its 
global share of patents is 10 percentage points lower than the US share. 

By contrast, the EU has a comparatively minor share of patents in augmented and virtual 
reality,  AI,  blockchain,  big  data,  micro  and  nanoelectronics  and,  in  particular,  cloud 
computing  (its  weakest  technology  field,  with  a  share  of  only  7.3%).  There  is  a 
significant gap between the EU’s share of AI patents and the share held by China and the 
US – in fact, the EU’s share of AI patents is about half that of the US. 

It  is  also  worth  noting  that,  on  digital  technology,  in  contrast  with  patents  for  green 
technology,  the  US  stands  out  as  being  highly  competitive  across  the  board.  The  US 
often  leads  by  a  significant  margin  on  this  front,  particularly  in  the  fields  of  quantum 
computing, big data, augmented and virtual reality technologies.  

27 Disclaimer: note that using patent data has some drawbacks. First, some companies may pursue other strategies to 
market  their  inventions  beyond  patenting  them.  Second,  the  volume  of  transnational  patents  filed  by  each  country 
does not necessarily indicate the quality of the patents. Nevertheless, patent data is a widely used measure  to track 
technological  development  activities.  By  focusing  on  transnational  patents  (which  are  more  expensive  to  file  and 
maintain),  we  ensure  that  these  patents  are  valid  in  more  than  one  national  market  and  that  they  are  worth  the 
investment needed to protect it. 

24 

 
 
 
 
Figure  19:  Global  share  of  patent  applications  by  specific  digital 

transition 

technology 

field

Quantum computing

Cloud technologies

Blockchain

Augmented and Virtual Reality

Digital Mobility

Digital Security

Big Data

Artificial Intelligence

Internet of Things

Robotics

Advanced Manufacturing Technologies

Photonics

Micro-and Nanoelectronics

37,13%

33,74%

38,04%

48,17%

24,08%

29,52%

31,18%

29,80%

26,13%

29,42%

28,96%

28,68%

31,98%

0,00%

10,00%

20,00%

30,00%

40,00%

50,00%

60,00%

USA

South Korea

Japan

EU27

China

Source: Fraunhofer ISI, based on EPO PATSTAT for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 
Note:  2021  data 

technologies  defined  based  on  CPC  Y-classes  are  estimates 

for  green 

Although  the  EU’s  global  patent  share  in  digital  technologies  has  fallen  over  time,  this 
does  not  necessarily  signal  a  drop  in  the  absolute  number  of  patents  filed  by  the  EU  in 
digital  technologies.  In  fact,  as  illustrated  by  Figure  23,  the  last  decade  has  seen  a 
significant, and in most cases, continuous increase in the share of digital patents in 
the  patent  portfolios  of  most  industrial  ecosystems.  This  indicates  that  EU 
industrial ecosystems have sharpened their focus on digital innovation.  

Currently,  the  share  of  digital  patents  in  the  overall  patent  portfolio  of  most  industrial 
ecosystems  is  relatively  high  at  around  20%.  As  to  be  expected,  the  digital  ecosystem 
leads with a share of digital patents of no less than 35% in total, followed closely by the 
retail  and  aerospace  and  defence  ecosystems.  The  industrial  ecosystems  with  the 
lowest  shares  of  digital  patents  in  their  overall  patent  portfolios  are  textiles,  agri-food 
and  energy-intensive  industries28.  Increasingly,  the  highest  increases  were  achieved 
not  in  the  digital  or  electronics  ecosystem  but  in  the  retail  and  the  renewable 
energies ecosystems. 

Figure 20: Share of ’digital patents in overall patent portfolio by ecosystem  

28  One  important  observation  is  that  digital  farming  technologies  are  not  being  developed  in  the  core  agri-food 
industrial ecosystem  but  instead  provided  mainly by  suppliers  in  other  ecosystems.  The  same  appears  to  be true  for 
internet  of  things  technologies  used  in  the  textiles  ecosystem  and  for  advanced  control  technologies  used  in 
manufacturing in energy-intensive industries. 

25 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
35,18%

30,76%

28,15%

24,59%

24,62%

22,19% 21,79%

20,73%

13,18%

11,19%

31,14%

27,39%

18,52%

9,64%

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%

Average 2010-11

Average 2015-16

Average 2020-21

Source:  Fraunhofer  ISI  Analysis  based  on  EPO  PATSTAT  and  Moody’s  ORBIS  for  the  European  Monitor  of 
Industrial Ecosystems (EMI)  

3.1.5. 

Digital technology production 

As  in  the  previous  chapter,  production  and  trade  data  were  used  to  capture  the  EU’s 
capacity to produce goods directly based on advanced digital technologies. 

Across  the  EU-27,  digital  technology-based  goods  accounted  for  4.83%  of  total  EU 
production in 2023, up only slightly from 3.75% in 2012. Micro- and nano-electronics 
and photonics achieved a particularly strong increase from 2020 onwards29.  

By contrast, in terms of trade, in 2022, the EU recorded a trade deficit of almost 4% in 
digital  technologies  overall.  As  Figure  21  below  illustrates,  the  EU  was  a  net  exporter 
only in advanced manufacturing and robotics technologies and recorded a trade 
deficit  in  all  other  digital  technology  fields.  Even  in  this  domain,  the  EU’s  trade 
surplus  has  fallen  over  time,  while  China’s  trade  balance  has  progressively  improved 
from  running  a  trade  deficit  of  roughly  44%  in  2012  to  just  under  6.5%  in  2022, 
suggesting an increasing level of self-sufficiency. The largest trade deficit for the EU is in 
digital security, which has worsened over time. 

Figure 21: Weight of production of digital technologies in total EU production between 2015-2023  

29  The  EU  also  produces  other  digital  technologies,  but  for  the  sake  of  visual  clarity,  Figure  20  shows  only  the  main 
technologies that make a sufficient contribution to overall EU production. 

26 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Source: IDEA Consult based on Eurostat [prom] for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 

However,  it  is  worth  noting  that  the  EU’s  trade  deficit  in  digital  mobility  improved  by 
around  7  percentage  points  from  2021  to  2022.  Of  all  four  economies  analysed,  only 
South Korea is a net exporter, standing out as highly competitive in this field, specifically 
in artificial intelligence and in big data. 

Figure  22:  Trade  balance  in  relation  to  overall  trade  volume  in  2022  for  digital  technologies: 
comparison between EU-27, China, USA, Japan and South Korea 

Advanced
Manufacturing
and Robotics

Micro- and
Nanoelectronics
and Photonics

Internet of
Things

Artificial
Intelligence and
Big Data

80,00%

60,00%

40,00%

20,00%

0,00%

60,71%

12,97%

13,60%

35,19%

22,09%

17,81%

2,63%

12,78%

2,49%

26,39%

Digital Mobility Digital Security

48,65%

54,29%

-20,00%

-6,47%

-40,00%

-60,00%

-2,82%

-3,10%

-21,03%

-41,69%

-2,61%

-6,41%

-2,09%

-8,21%

-28,74%

-19,90%

-26,73%

-4,44%

-17,36%

-39,04%

-44,22%

-41,03%

-45,32%

China

EU27

Japan

Korea

United States

Source: Fraunhofer ISI, based on UNCOMTRADE for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 

When comparing the results shown above on production and trade data with the results 
in  Section  3.2.1  on  the  adoption  of  digital  technologies  and  the  results  on  patent 
applications  in  Section  3.3.1,  one  can  make  the  following  observations.  The  EU's 
competitiveness and  progress in the field of artificial intelligence  (as measured by 
production, trade and patent data) does not seem to be linked to demand trends, as 
demonstrated by the change in adoption rates displayed in Figure 14.  

In addition, there is a clear gap between the EU’s share of global patents in cloud 
technologies, particularly compared with the US and China, and the increasingly high 
rate  of  adoption  and  investment  in  these  technologies  by  EU  companies.  This 
suggests  that  EU  companies  may  be  mainly  adopting  or  investing  in  cloud  technologies 
that  have  been  patented  by  non-EU  companies.  This  is  aligned  with  the  fact  that  the 
cloud computing market is dominated by non-EU cloud service providers. 

Therefore, on both artificial intelligence and cloud computing, the EU has an opportunity 
to capitalise on the high level of demand in its domestic market to boost its own 
competitiveness in these fields. 

27 

 
 
 
 
3.2.  Framework conditions for the digital transition 

-  In  terms  of  EU  funding  for  the  digital  transition,  the  electronics  sector  received  the 
most  ERDF  funding,  while  the  health  sector  attracted  most  research  and  innovation-
related funding.  

-  The  share  of  professionals  with  advanced  digital  skills  increased  significantly 
between  2022  and  2024,  reaching  18.2%-20.9%  across  ecosystems  in  2024. 
The  highest  increase  is  in  the  health,  electronics,  and  aerospace  and  defence 
ecosystems. 

This  section  analyses  the  framework  conditions  needed  to  support  EU  competitiveness, 
based on two main indicators: i) EU funding and ii) skills. 

3.2.1. 

Public investment 

This  section  analyses  the  level  of  EU  funding  for  the  digital  transition  across  industrial 
ecosystems.  It  looks  at  funding  from  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund,  the 
Cohesion  Funds30,  and  the  EU’s  framework  programme  for  research  and  innovation 
(Horizon  2020  and  Horizon  Europe).  Data  has  been  collected  from  multiple  sources, 
including Cohesion Open Data, Kohesio, and the Community Research and Development 
Information Service (CORDIS) databases. The data analysis shows that: 

•  The  electronics  ecosystem  accounts  for  52.6%  of  the  ERDF  co-funding 
allocated to digital transition, the highest of all ecosystems, in part due to the 
nature  of  this  industry,  which  is  closely  related  to  digitalisation.  EUR 2.7 billion 
was invested in projects with a digital component.  

•  The  next  highest  share  of  funding  was  allocated  to  the  health,  retail  and  the 
cultural  and  creative  industries,  with  28%,  15%  and  15%  respectively  for  the 
digital transition.  

Figure 23 shows the share of EU research and innovation funding for the digital transition 
in  each  ecosystem.  In  total,  EUR 2.5 billion  was  spent  on  the  digital  transition  of 
industrial ecosystems from Horizon 2020 and so far EUR 1.2 billion from Horizon Europe. 
In  total,  the  health  ecosystem  received  the  most  EU  research  and  innovation 
funding  for  the  digital  transition  and  the  construction  ecosystem  received  the 
least funding. 

Figure  23:  Share  of  EU  research  and  innovation  funding  for  the  digital  transition  in  EUR million 
(Horizon Europe fundings covers only the period 2021- Nov 2024) 

28 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Source: Technopolis Group based on Cordis for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 

3.2.2. 

Supply and demand for advanced digital skills 

As in the previous chapter, this section presents the analysis  of data on the supply and 
demand of professionals with digital transition skills based on Eurostat/Cedefop data.  

The  share of professionals with advanced  digital  skills  increased between 2022 
and  2024,  reaching  between  18.2%  (in  agri-food)  and  20.9%  (in  aerospace  and 
defence)  across  ecosystems  in  2024.  The  highest  increase  was  in  health  (9%), 
electronics (5%) and in aerospace and defence (4%). 

Figure  24:  Change  in  the  share  of  professionals  with  advanced  digital  skills  across  industrial 
ecosystems 

Source: Technopolis Group based on LinkedIn for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 

The  share  of  professionals  with  specific  advanced  digital  technology  skills  (based  on 
LinkedIn  data)  indicates  that  most  professionals  with  artificial  intelligence-related 
skills work in the aerospace and defence, electronics, and mobility, transport and 
automotive  industrial  ecosystems.  The  highest  number  of  professionals  in  the 

29 

 
 
 
 
electronics ecosystem work on internet of things technology, whereas in the cultural 
and  creative  industries,  the  focus  is  on  professionals  with  experience  in  augmented 
and virtual reality. 

Figure 25: Share of professionals with advanced digital skills across industrial ecosystems 

Source: Technopolis Group based on LinkedIn for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 

Demand for advanced digital skills remains high across all industrial ecosystems. This 
is  especially  true  for  AI-skilled  professionals,  reflecting  the  rapid  integration  of  artificial 
intelligence  across  sectors.  The  highest  demand  for  professionals  with  advanced 
technological  skills  is  in  the  cultural  and  creative  industries,  followed  by 
electronics  and  construction.  Electronics  is  one  of  the  most  technology-intensive 
ecosystems  and  demand  for  professionals  with  these  skills  has  increased  by  11.6%,  in 
particular for skills in AI, machine learning and internet of things.  

3.3.  The impact of digital technologies on productivity 

-  The  adoption  of  digital  technologies  has  led  to  significant  productivity 
increases over the past year. The health and aerospace and defence ecosystems 
achieved  the  greatest  productivity  gains,  with  average  increases  of  9-11%  in  the 
course of 2023 in output per hour worked. 

-  Among  the  digital  technologies  driving  the  productivity  boost,  robotics  was  identified 
as  having  the  greatest  impact  in  manufacturing  industrial  ecosystems  and  AI  in 
services-based industrial ecosystems. 

30 

 
 
 
 
 
The  digitalisation  of  industry  is  a  key  driver  of  economic  transformation  and 
competitiveness  in  the  EU  and  globally.  It  is  fostering  innovation  across  value  chains, 
reshaping  how  products  are  manufactured  and  how  services  are  delivered.  As  a  result, 
this section examines how effectively companies have converted advancements in 
digital technologies into productivity gains for their businesses. Data collected for 
this section comes from the survey carried out under the EMI project31.  

The  adoption  of  advanced  digital  technologies  has  led  to  an  8%  increase  in 
productivity across industrial ecosystems on average since last year, as measured 
by  output  per  hour  worked.    The  health  and  aerospace  and  defence  ecosystems 
achieved  the  greatest  productivity  gains.  The  ecosystems  that  made  the  least  gains  in 
productivity were the retail and the cultural and creative industries.  

The  EMI  industrial  ecosystem  reports  highlight32  that,  out  of  the  digital  technologies 
driving this productivity boost, robotics (in particular smart systems) had the greatest 
impact  in  manufacturing  industrial  ecosystems  (by  84%  of  respondents).  In 
services-based industrial ecosystems, AI (cited by 71% of respondents), data analytics 
and  digital  platforms  drove  productivity  gains  by  enhancing  efficiency,  customer 
engagement  and  service  innovation.  The  adoption  of  digital  tools  across  ecosystems 
brings  various  benefits,  such  as  production  optimisation,  data-driven  decision-making, 
improved working conditions and greater transparency. 

Productivity  gains  were  also  substantial  (around  70%  of  respondents)  in  services-based 
ecosystems  that  adopted  cloud  computing.  In  addition,  the  use  of  big  data  and  the 
internet  of  things  have  yielded  immediate  productivity  gains  for  half  the  companies 
surveyed.  

Certain  technologies,  such  as  augmented  and  virtual  reality  and  blockchain,  are 
still  in  development  and  currently  demand  more  investment  than  they  yield  in 
immediate returns. As part of the EMI enterprise survey, many companies reported that 
these technologies are still in the test phase, with ongoing evaluations of their potential 
applications  and  long-term  benefits.  While  promising,  these  technologies  require  further 
refinement  and  scalability  before  they  can  yield  substantial  productivity  or  profitability 
gains. 

Figure 26: Impact on productivity of advanced digital technologies as reported by respondents (EU-
27) 

Source: 2024 EMI Enterprise Survey for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 

31  The  EMI  survey  is  an  in-house  business  survey  that  collects  data  on  the  level  of  change  towards  the  green  and 
digital  transition  of  European  businesses  across  twelve  industrial  ecosystems.  It  sought  opinions  on  related 
investments  and  expected  future  developments.  The  survey  used  computer-assisted  telephone  interviewing  with  an 
overall sample of 4 000 respondents. 
32https://monitor-industrial-ecosystems.ec.europa.eu/industrial-ecosystems 

31 

 
 
 
 
 
4.  Industrial transition composite indicators 

With  the  aim  of  identifying  patterns  of  progress  on  the  green  and  digital  transitions 
across  different  ecosystems,  the  EMI  project  has  developed  industrial  transition 
composite  indicators.  The  indicators  follow  standard  procedure  as  recommended  by 
the  JRC/OECD  Handbook  on  Composite  Indicators33  and  implemented  by  the  COINr 
package34.  

The indicator framework used to build the following composite scores is based on the 37 
indicators  presented  in  previous  sections  of  the  report,  with  10  dimensions,  split 
between  the  green  and  digital  transitions  (4  each).  The  indicator  framework  is 
described  in  detail  in  the  EMI  methodological  report35  and  the  results  are  illustrated 
below,  tracking  performance,  action  or  growth  on  a  scale  from  0  (minimum)  to  1 
(maximum)36. 

4.1.  Progress  on  the  green  transition  to  support  sustainable 

competitiveness 

Figure 27: Green transition composite indicators 

Source: Technopolis Group for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 

Efforts 

The  main  types  of  effort  companies  make  to  reduce  their  environmental  impact  are 
grouped  by  several  actions  namely:  the  adoption  of  green  technologies  and 
environmental  measures,  private-sector  investment,  technology  generation  based  on 
patents,  and  increasing  the  production  of  green  technology.  This  group  of  composite 
scores tracks progress on the green transition by assessing the current state of play; not 
over time.  

33 https://monitor-industrial-ecosystems.ec.europa.eu/industrial-ecosystemse Indicators 
34 https://monitor-industrial-ecosystems.ec.europa.eu/industrial-ecosystems 
35 https://monitor-industrial-ecosystems.ec.europa.eu/industrial-ecosystems 
36 Proximity and the social economy were subtracted from the composite indicators analysis due to a lack of data. 

32 

 
 
 
 
 
Overall,  energy-intensive  industries  is  the  ecosystem  that  recorded  the  greatest 
efforts to reduce their environmental impact, particularly due to the outstanding level of 
green technology generation. The textiles industry also made great efforts, mainly on 
high  levels  of  technology  adoption  and  environmental  measures  taken.  The  tourism 
industry,  which  ranks  third,  has  made  particular  efforts  on  waste  management, 
circularity  and  resource  efficiency.  However,  tourism  recorded  very  low  levels  of 
technology adoption, private-sector investment in environmental technologies and green 
tech  start-ups.  Despite  the  importance  of  private-sector  investments  in  environmental 
technologies  to  support  the  green  transition,  the  turnover  allocated  to  adopting  green 
technologies  and  the  level  of  venture  capital  investments  are  low  compared  with  other 
actions on the green transition.  

Framework conditions 

Framework  conditions  contribute  to  EU  competitiveness,  sustainable  development  and 
encourage growth. To help create the framework conditions, two factors are needed: EU 
funding and skills.  

EU  funding  for  the  green  transition  is  higher  in  manufacturing  industrial  ecosystems 
than in service-based ecosystems. Energy-intensive industries receive the most funds 
from  ERDF  and  the  health  ecosystem  receives  the  most  from  the  research  and 
innovation  fund.  The  composite  result  includes  other  indicators  in  the  calculation,  which 
results in the aerospace and defence ecosystem  recording the highest overall level of 
EU  funding.  By  contrast,  service-based  industrial  ecosystems  such  as  retail  and  the 
cultural and creative industries record low levels of green public investment, resulting in 
a performance of below 0.1. 

In  terms  of  green  skills,  most  industrial  ecosystems  are  clustered  in  the  lower-middle 
range in terms of supply and demand. Only aerospace and defence, construction and 
electronics  perform  above  the  0.6  threshold.  Service-based  ecosystems  all  perform  in 
the  lowest  range,  together  with  the  agri-food  ecosystem,  with  a  performance  below 
0.4. 

Progress to reduce environmental impact 

This  composite  score  assesses  the  progress  made  by  ecosystems  in  reducing  their 
environmental  impact  from  2017  to  202237.  As  shown  in  the  graph,  most  industrial 
ecosystems report mixed progress. For instance,  the cultural and creative industries 
recorded the best performance, followed by health, driven by their significant reduction 
in  material  extraction38.  Agri-food  ranks  third  as  a  result  of  their  progress  in  reducing 
water  consumption  over  the  2017-2022  period.  Despite  the  positive  dynamics,  the 
overall  impact  on  the  environment  produced  by  the  agri-food  ecosystem  is  still  high 
compared to most other ecosystems.  

37 Changes are calculated using a rolling average of the data from 2017 to 2022 and indexed to the year 2017. 
38  This  example  highlights  an  important  assumption  behind  the  results  of  the  composites,  namely  that  results  are 
subject to a compensation effect during the aggregation process. 

33 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.2.  Digital 

transition 

supporting 

sustainable 

competitiveness 

Figure 28: Digital transition composite scores 

Source: Technopolis Group for the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) 

Efforts 

Similarly  to  progress  in  the  green  transition,  this  chapter  measures  the  main  types  of 
effort companies make to progress in the digital transition in several areas, namely: the 
adoption  of  digital  technologies,  private-sector  investment,  trends  in  digital  tech  start-
ups, technology generation captured by patents and the creation of digital technology.  

Aerospace  and defence is the  ecosystem  that recorded the most  efforts made  on the 
digital  transition  due  to  their  adoption  of  advanced  digital  technologies  (AI,  IoT  and 
cloud).  Electronics  rank  second,  standing  out  for  the  broad-based  investment  (around 
6-10% of annual turnover) in cloud computing, edge computing and robotics.  

Technology  generation for the digital transition  recorded an outstanding performance 
in  the  creative  and  cultural  industries  and  in  retail  (ranking  third  and  fourth). 
The  industrial  ecosystems  with  the  lowest  shares  in  digital  patents  among  their  overall 
patent portfolios are agri-food and the energy-intensive industries with a threshold 
below 0.2. 

Framework conditions 

Framework  conditions  to  support  the  digital  transition  contribute  to 
industrial 
competitiveness and encourage growth.  To create the framework conditions, EU funding 
and skills are needed.  

A  moderate  level  of  EU  funding  is  allocated  to  digital  public  investments  in  all 
ecosystems,  except  for  in  electronics,  which  stand  out.  The  cultural  and  creative 
industries and tourism are the best performers in the service-based ecosystems with a 
threshold of 0.4. 

34 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In  terms  of  skills,  similarly  to  the  situation  for  the  green  transition,  the  share  of 
professionals  with  advanced  digital  skills  has  grown  in  most  industrial  ecosystems 
between 2022 and 2024 though the supply remains low. Aerospace and defence stand 
out as the ecosystem with the highest level of advanced digital skills. 

Impact on productivity 

To track progress on the digital transition, industrial competitiveness is measured by an 
in-house  survey  assessing  the  change  in  output  per  hour  worked  related  to  production 
costs  per  output.  The  results  show  a  moderate  level  of  variance  between  ecosystems, 
with one industrial ecosystem standing out as a high performer, health. This result can 
be  explained  by  the  significant  reduction  in  production  costs  that  the  health  ecosystem 
achieved  by  adopting  advanced  digital  technologies.  Aerospace  and  defence  and 
tourism are mid-level performers at around 0.5. The cultural and creative industries 
and  retail  recorded  the  lowest  performance  of  all  ecosystems,  recording  a  very  low 
impact on productivity. 

5. Appendix 

Figure 29: EMI indicator framework  

Indicator label 

Indicator 

Source 

SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS 

1.1 Progress in alleviating environmental pressure on resource consumption 

1.1.1 Material extraction 

1.1.2 Blue water use 

Used  and  unused  crops  and  crops  residue, 
grazing  and 
forestry  and  timber, 
fisheries,  non-metallic  minerals,  iron  ore,  non-
ferrous  metal  ores,  coal  and  peat,  and  oil  and 
gas (G Tons) (growth - indexed to year 2017) 

fodder, 

Exiobase 

Consumption  of  blue  water  (fresh  surface  or 
groundwater)  (1018  m3)  (growth  -  indexed  to 
year 2017) 

Exiobase 

1.2 Progress in reducing environmental pressure on climate and biodiversity 

1.2.1 GHG emissions  

1.2.2 Biodiversity 

Emissions  of  greenhouse  gases  (as  defined  in 
IPCC  AR5)  converted  to  CO2  equivalent  using 
the  GWP100  conversion  (Global  Warming 
Potential  for a 100-year time horizon)  (G  Tons 
CO2) (growth - indexed to year 2017) 

Exiobase 

to 

Damage 
the  ecosystem  by  ecotoxic 
emissions  (1012  PDF  *  m2  *  year)  (growth  - 
indexed to year 2017) 

Exiobase 

1.2.3 
emissions 

Particulate 

matter 

Particulate  matter  consists  of  a  mixture  of 
droplets  smaller  than  2.5  micrometres  and  10 
micrometres  and  emitted  locally  by  various 
sources  such  as  vehicle  exhaust,  smoke,  road 

Exiobase 

35 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Indicator label 

Indicator 

Source 

dust,  vehicles  and  airplane  tyres.  The  annual 
volume 
the 
Exiobase  3.8.2  production-based  account 
(growth - indexed to year 2017)  

in  megatonnes  comes 

from 

1.3 Digital impacts 

1.3.1 Productivity gains 

Digital  tech-driven  productivity  increase  (share 
of total SMEs - average of all technologies) 

1.3.2 Production costs 

Digital  tech-enabled  cost  reduction  (share  of 
total SMEs - average of all technologies) 

EMI 

2024 
enterprise 
survey 

EMI 

2024 
enterprise 
survey 

EFFORTS 

2.1 Green transition commitment 

2.1.1 
adoption 

Green 

technology 

Companies  adopting  green  technologies  (share 
of total companies)  

EMI 

2024 
enterprise 
survey 

  Strategy 

2.1.2 
to  reduce 
carbon  footprint  and  become 
climate neutral or negative 

Companies  with  a  concrete  strategy  to  reduce 
their  carbon  footprint  and  become  climate 
neutral or negative (share of total SMEs) 

2024 
enterprise 
survey 

EMI 

2.2 Circular economy efforts 

2.2.1  Switching 
suppliers of materials 

to  greener 

SMEs  switching 
materials 

to  greener  suppliers  of 

Eurobarometer 

2.2.2  Recycling,  by  reusing 
material  or  waste  within  the 
company 

2.2.3  Designing  products  that 
are  easier  to  maintain,  repair 
or reuse 

2.3 Waste management efforts 

SMEs recycling by reusing material or waste 

Eurobarometer 

SMEs  designing  products  that  are  easier  to 
maintain 

Eurobarometer 

2.3.1 Minimising waste 

SMEs taking action to minimise waste 

Eurobarometer 

2.3.2 Selling your residues and 
waste to another company 

SMEs  selling  residues  and  waste  to  another 
company 

Eurobarometer 

2.4 Resource efficiency efforts 

2.4.1 Saving water 

SMEs  taking  action  to  save  water  (share  of 
total SMEs) 

Eurobarometer 

2.4.2 Saving energy 

SMEs  taking  action  to  save  energy  (share  of 
total SMEs) 

Eurobarometer 

2.4.3 Saving materials 

SMEs  taking  action  to  save  material  (share  of 
total SMEs) 

Eurobarometer 

36 

 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
Indicator label 

Indicator 

Source 

2.5 Digital transition commitment 

2.5.1 
adoption 

Digital 

technology 

Companies adopting digital technologies (share 
of total SMEs) 

2.5.2  Digital 
strategy 

transformation 

Companies  with  a  concrete  strategy  for  digital 
transformation (share of total SMEs) 

2.6 Private investment in green transition 

2.6.1  VC  and  private  equity 
investments in  green tech 

Volume  of  VC  and  private  equity  invested  in 
companies 
transition 
technologies (share of total VC) 

generating 

green 

EMI 

2024 
enterprise 
survey 

EMI 

2024 
enterprise 
survey 

Crunchbase 

2.6.2 
Green 
investment share 

transition 

Average  share  of 
invested  by 
companies  for  their  green  transition  (share  of 
turnover) 

turnover 

2024 
enterprise 
survey 

EMI 

2.7 Private-sector investment in the digital transition 

2.7.1  VC  and  private  equity 
investment in  digital tech 

Volume  of  VC  and  private  equity  invested  in 
companies  generating  digital 
technologies 
(share of total VC) 

Crunchbase 

2.7.2 
Digital 
investment share 

transition 

Average  share  of 
invested  by 
companies  for  their  digital  transition  (share  of 
turnover) 

turnover 

2024 
enterprise 
survey 

EMI 

FRAMEWORK CONDITIONS 

Investment 

3.1 Investment in the green transition 

3.1.1  EU  R&D  funding  for  the 
green transition 

EU  R&D  funding  for  green  transition  projects 
(share of value in total funding) 

Cordis 

3.1.2  ERDF  funding  for  the 
green transition 

ERDF  funding  for  green  transition  projects 
(share of value in total ERDF funding in EUR)    

Kohesio 

3.2 Investment in the digital transition 

3.2.1  EU  R&D  funding  for  the 
digital transition  

EU R&D funding for the digital transition (share 
of value in total funding in EUR)  

Cordis 

3.2.2  ERDF  funding  for  the 
digital transition 

ERDF funding for the digital transition (share of 
value in total ERDF funding in EUR)  

Kohesio 

Technology generation 

4. 1 Green technology generation 

Green 

4.1.1 
transition 
technology generation by start-
ups 

Share  of  tech  start-ups  generating  green 
transition technologies (share of start-ups) 

Crunchbase 

37 

 
 
 
 
Indicator label 

Indicator 

4.1.2  Green patents 

Patent  applications 
technologies 
(three-year averages of share of green patents 
in  all  patents  filed  in  respective  national 
ecosystem) 

in  green 

Source 

Patstat 

2 

4. 
generation 

Digital 

technology 

4.2.1 
generation by start-ups 

Digital 

technology 

4.2.2 Digital patents 

Skills 

5.1 Green skills 

Number  of  technology  start-ups  generating 
digital  transition  technologies  (share  of  start-
ups) 

 Crunchbase 

technologies 
Patent  applications 
(three-year averages of share of green patents 
in  all  patents  filed  in  respective  national 
ecosystem) 

in  digital 

Patstat 

5.1.1 Green skills supply 

Professionals  with  green 
employed in industrial ecosystems  

transition  skills 

LinkedIn 

5.1.2 Green skills demand 

Job  advertisements  with  requirements 
for 
green  transition  skills  per  industrial  ecosystem 
(share of total advertisements) 

5.1.3 Green skills roles 

Share of SMEs with a significant  focus on jobs 
to  environment  protection  and 
relevant 
environmental  sustainability  (between  11  and 
50 employees)  

Cedefop Online 
Job 
Advertisement  
tables (OJA) 

EMI 

2024 
enterprise 
survey 

5.2 Digital skills 

5.2.1 Digital skills supply 

5.2.2 Digital skills demand 

Professionals  with  digital 
transition  skills 
employed  in  industrial  ecosystems  (share  of 
total professionals)  

LinkedIn 

Job  advertisements  with  requirements 
for 
digital  transition skills per  industrial ecosystem 
(share of total advertisements) 

Cedefop Online 
Job 
Advertisement  
tables (OJA) 

5.2.3 Digital skills roles 

Share  of  SMEs  with  a  significant    focus    on 
digital  jobs  or  IT-related  roles    (between  11 
and 50 employees) (share of total SMEs) 

2024 
enterprise 
survey 

EMI 

38