“A Renewed European Agenda for Research and Innovation - Europe’s Chance to Shape Its Future - European Commission”, n.d. https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/knowledge-publications-tools-and-data/publications/all-publications/renewed-european-agenda-research-and-innovation-europes-chance-shape-its-future_en.

The innovation principle promotes smart, future-oriented regulation and policies designed to encourage innovation activities that can deliver socially and environmentally beneficial progress.
Becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent can be achieved if EU regulation is designed to create the best possible conditions for thinking out of the box and finding new solutions yielding the desired social and environmental benefits, in cooperation with civil society and via an inclusive and transparent discussion. 

DG R&I working definition:
“EU policy and legislation should be developed, implemented and assessed in view of encouraging
innovations that help realise the EU’s environmental, social and economic objectives, and to anticipate and harness future technological advances”.

Specific objectives are to:
- Improve the design of existing and future EU regulations with regard to their impact on encouraging beneficial innovation.
- Steer the development of innovative solutions addressing new and complex challenges in a way that embeds EU values and protects Europeans.
- Achieve an optimal balance between predictability of the regulatory environment and adaptability to scientific and technological progress.