"This is what happened to the EU with battery technology, renewable technology, AI, digital services, and semiconductors."

I don't agree with the "semiconductor" take of that. ASML, a European company funded by a lot of private and non-European capital, is basically producing the machines that are making all of the high-end semi conductors of the past few years. They have received grants from the EU, arguably small in compared to the private funding though.

IMEC, and their NanoIC research on the other hand receives a lot of funding from the EU.