Brussels, 02/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 1 December, Commissioner Carlos Moedas, the head of research and innovation, signed an agreement in Brussels with Tunisia to involve the country in the EU's Horizon 2020 framework programme for research and innovation. Tunisia was represented by its minister for higher education and scientific research, Chiheb Bouden. This is the first agreement signed with an Arab country from the Mediterranean region in this connection.
Bouden was invited to address European ministers for research and innovation who were meeting the same day as part of the EU Competitiveness Council. Bouden emphasised the “common approaches and common challenges” in the research and innovation field. He said that “if there is something that can act as a vector and, through its very essence, help bring people together and roll back the frontiers of ignorance and obscurantism, it is indeed science. It is also that Tunisia's involvement in the Horizon 2020 programme in this particularly specific context (threats of terrorism and economic and employment challenges on a massive scale) this takes on a very particular importance”. He added: “Today, Horizon 2020 has become our programme. A huge field of new opportunities is now wide open to us throughout the value creation chain, from the basic research process up until the activities nearing the marketing stage”.
Bouden provided assurances that “we are aware of our potential but also clear about the journey in front of us that we need to make. We have margins of manoeuvre in which we can make more use of the 'know-how' capital in our research, and a rich history of cooperation with the EU and its member states. We are classed as top level in Africa for the ratio of R&D investment and we produce half of all scientific publications in the Maghreb. We are also leaders in Africa when it comes to participating in European population-related research programmes and in terms of the size of our research system. In addition, we have a large portfolio of international partnerships that is getting stronger all the time. Obviously, we need to make more and significant efforts to ensure Tunisian participation is on a par with our research and innovation potential”, he concluded. (Original version in French by Fathi B'Chir)