The Innovation Union is a key initiative to achieve the goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy for a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy. It aims to improve conditions of and access to finance for research and innovation in Europe, to ensure that innovative ideas can be turned into products and services that create growth and jobs. It includes over thirty action points, such as groundbreaking proposals like European Innovation Partnerships to combine taking on major societal challenges with giving the EU first-mover advantage in the markets of the future, etc.