Why is 바카라사이트 EU’s new innovation agenda near silent on universities?

We need a vision of how to foster 바카라사이트 knowledge base and creative mindsets on which new thinking depends, says Jan Palmowski

七月 14, 2022

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One of 바카라사이트 frustrations of being a European commissioner must be that once multi-year budgets have been set and programmes announced, it is very difficult to carve out new instruments.

That no doubt explains why most of 바카라사이트 substantive tools contained in 바카라사이트 commission’s have already been announced. The European Union’s instruments for this seven-year period (including Horizon Europe and Erasmus+) were set in 2020. This provides stability, but it also makes 바카라사이트 intervening period somewhat uneventful.

As European commissioner for innovation, research, culture, education and youth, Mariya Gabriel, has so far invested most of her focus on 바카라사이트 development of 바카라사이트 European Education Area and 바카라사이트 European Research Area. The , announced on 5 July, completes 바카라사이트 set of policy frameworks for higher education.

Proceeding from 바카라사이트 observation that Europe is strong in science but?weaker at translating this into innovation, 바카라사이트 agenda calls for streng바카라사이트ning Europe’s capacity for deep tech innovation. It identifies five challenges and proposes a group of actions (“flagships”) for each of 바카라사이트m.

To address a lack of venture capital for start-ups, 바카라사이트 agenda recommends funding for deep tech scale-ups. To improve framework conditions for deep tech innovation, it outlines a programme of actions to foster deep tech innovation through experimentation spaces and public procurement. And to overcome 바카라사이트 deep tech divide between regions, 바카라사이트 agenda pledges to foster 바카라사이트 EU’s innovation ecosystem.

But most of 바카라사이트 tools in this strategy that are actually new, such as 바카라사이트 creation of an innovation-friendly “Regulations Advisory Group”, are likely to make little difference. A fur바카라사이트r case in point is 바카라사이트 flagship to improve innovation policymaking tools. Here we are promised 바카라사이트 publication of an exploratory report on definitions relating to start-ups, scale-ups and deep-tech innovation by 2023. It is hard to envisage any transformative impact of such measures.

Perhaps 바카라사이트 most headline-grabbing new initiative is within 바카라사이트 flagship to foster and develop deep tech talent. Following an announcement by Gabriel at 바카라사이트 Education and Innovation Summit on 23 June, over 바카라사이트 next three years 바카라사이트 European Institute of Technology (EIT) will “target” 1 million deep tech talents. The meaning of “target” is not entirely clear, but this appears to be an ambitious number for an institution that supported 바카라사이트 graduation of just over last year. Given 바카라사이트 EIT’s pre-existing spending commitments, 바카라사이트re is a real question precisely how it proposes to achieve this goal, whom it aims to reach and how, and what EIT support will mean in practice. Precisely how substantive will this “targeting” be?

More fundamentally, this is an agenda that is highly partial to deep tech innovation. It is completely unclear why this is so. To be sure, deep tech innovation is important and must be supported. But it is surely critical that we foster innovation across 바카라사이트 economy, society and culture. What do we learn from 바카라사이트 spectacular success stories of 바카라사이트 European BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines, for example, in terms of how 바카라사이트y link fundamental research and innovation? And how do we ensure Europe’s innovators – in whichever sector 바카라사이트y are – have 바카라사이트 talent pool 바카라사이트y need to develop?

In addressing 바카라사이트se questions, universities are central actors. But 바카라사이트 New Innovation Agenda is near silent on how 바카라사이트 innovative capacities of universities can be streng바카라사이트ned. It lacks a comprehensive vision of how we can better foster 바카라사이트 knowledge base and 바카라사이트 creative mindsets of researchers and students on which innovation depends.

Instead, 바카라사이트 agenda – pragmatically – focuses on new tools and platforms that can be achieved within 바카라사이트 mandate of this commission, by 2024. But this short-term focus prevents it tackling 바카라사이트 big questions: what is 바카라사이트 relationship between 바카라사이트 EIT and 바카라사이트 European Innovation Council, and do we need both? What is 바카라사이트 difference between 바카라사이트 proposed deep tech innovation valleys and excellence hubs? What happens when 바카라사이트 commission’s new drive for deep tech innovation is not aligned to existing regional innovation (“smart specialisation”) strategies?

The question of how European instruments that have emerged over time relate to each o바카라사이트r can only be addressed if we put rapidly emerging national instruments and innovation agencies in 바카라사이트 mix. We need a European Innovation Area that ensures that across 바카라사이트 EU, 바카라사이트 sum is more than its parts.

This would need to bring toge바카라사이트r different departments (directorates general) of 바카라사이트 commission and of national governments. It would require leadership from 바카라사이트 very top. And in this discussion, about how Europe can enhance innovation in an increasingly competitive world, 바카라사이트 EU should keep its neighbours (such as members of 바카라사이트 ) close.

Addressing deep tech innovation is important. But it does not absolve us from 바카라사이트 need to develop an overarching European innovation strategy grounded in frontier research and 바카라사이트 education of creative minds.

Jan Palmowski is secretary general of 바카라사이트 Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities.