“An important meeting to discuss the future of research”. This is how European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel described the video conference of Ministers for Research and Innovation, held on Friday 26 February, to the press.
Ministers had been invited to discuss the means to be mobilised and the measures to be implemented in the framework of the national recovery plans (see EUROPE 12653/10) to support research and innovation (R&I) in the EU.
Mrs Gabriel was “pleased to see that already in many plans, drafts include investments in R&I in key areas such as ecology and digital technology”. Nearly 20 plans have been presented to the Commission so far.
“Research and innovation have a role to play in each of the pillars of the national recovery plans defined by the Commission”, the Commissioner insisted.
Manuel Heitor, the Portuguese Minister who chaired the meeting, pointed out that there was a broad consensus on the importance of boosting R&I in areas such as green hydrogen, high performance and quantum computing and artificial intelligence.
The discussion also focused on how the recovery funds could feed into the overhaul of the European Research Area, the ERA.
Mrs Gabriel and Mr Heitor did not fail to recall in this respect the objective of an overall investment of at least 3% of the Union’s GDP in R&I, recently reaffirmed (see EUROPE 12571/9, 12614/33).
“A much more realistic ambition”, the Commissioner commented, in view of the possibilities offered by the national recovery plans and the potential synergies of these plans with other European funds.
Many of the Ministers, such as Slovenia’s Simona Kustec, also listed the elements to be improved so that “public investment in R&I achieves better effects and results”. On this point, many would have stressed the importance of public-private partnerships as well as European partnerships, and the need to support start-ups and SMEs by simplifying the procedures to access funding.
The Portuguese Presidency is committed to ensuring that the results of this debate feed into the forthcoming discussions of the Heads of State and Government at the 25 and 26 March summit. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)