Study on the dual-use potential of Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) : final technical report

"Dual‐Use products, services and technologies can address the needs of both civilian and defence communities. Dual‐use technology transfer is the ability to adapt a technology developed in one sector for use in the other. KETs (Key Enabling Technologies) as building block technologies embedded in the most advanced products have high dual use potential. Advanced materials, nano‐electronics, photonics, and KETs enabled Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), unmanned systems and automation are just a few examples of fields in which research, technology development and manufacturing can be used for multiple applications." The area of KETs has relevance for potential application in dual‐use innovation. In fact, the Commission's Communication "Towards a more competitive and efficient defence and security sector" states: "Within Horizon 2020, the areas of "Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies" including the "Key Enabling Technologies" (KETs) and "Secure Societies" (Societal Challenge), offer prospects of technological advances that can trigger innovation not only for civil applications, but also have a dualuse potential." In this framework EASME (Executive Agency for Small and Medium‐sized Enterprises) launched this study, aiming at analysing and identifying possible synergies between the list of innovation fields and previous work done in Framework Programme 7 (FP7), Member States (MS) and European Defence Agency (EDA). In addition, an analysis on which of these innovation fields also coincide with the EU defence community's future R&T (Research & Technology) needs was performed. Furthermore, the identification of the underlying technologies for each innovation field that could potentially be included in Horizon 2020 (or other research programmes) was carried out. The study builds on the results of the previous RO‐cKETs (Roadmap for the cross‐cutting KETs) study, which developed a methodological approach that led to the definition of a roadmap for cross‐cutting KETs (Key Enabling Technologies) activities as part of Horizon 2020. Starting from such study, this one extends its result beyond cross‐cutting KETs thus considering also non‐multidisciplinary Innovation fields.