Brussels, 25/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - In a speech delivered at the Open Forum Europe on 25 September, the commissioner responsible for the Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, suggested €16 billion should be invested in digital technology research, out of the €80 billion Horizon 2020 proposal, this being the largest sectoral allocation. Kroes believes: “If we invest better, we will innovate better, and we will build a better future. The world is changing: the way we innovate needs to change too”. She suggests that 5% of the Horizon 2020 funds be devoted to “open, disruptive innovation” (likely to create new markets thanks to a major technological contribution), to create a prize for researchers that come up with innovative solutions likely to raise technological challenges, more open calls for tenders and more cooperation between academia and the private sector, in order to ensure that they put forward “real products, real services, real jobs”. Finally, she supports the “ring-fencing of significant funds for the most high-tech, innovative small and medium-sized businesses”, concluding that “great innovation isn't about keeping the status quo, it's about challenging it”. (IL/transl.jl)