Scaling up what we already know and have will not secure Europe¡¯s future

The importance of research for Europe¡¯s global competitiveness is widely agreed on, so it was reassuring to see that acknowledged in 바카라사이트 new European Commission¡¯s ¡°¡±, published last week.

However, for a document aimed at articulating a coherent five-year strategy to ensure Europe¡¯s economic and technological position in 바카라사이트 world, it shows an alarmingly poor understanding of how research and innovation actually work.

September¡¯s seminal Draghi report, commissioned by commission president Ursula von der Leyen herself, made a strong case that Europe must invest in new and advanced technologies, where 바카라사이트 continent has clearly fallen behind. It advised 바카라사이트 European Union to increase its research funding and overcome 바카라사이트 fragmentation of its framework programme, Horizon Europe, by concentrating on fewer, more impactful instruments. The report, by former Italian prime minister and European Central Bank president Mario Draghi, also called for better conditions for innovation, from overcoming regulatory barriers to completing 바카라사이트 single market for capital.

Crucially, Draghi identified 바카라사이트 need to focus on both cutting-edge research and its translation to breakthrough innovation. That is why he advocated for doubling investment in 바카라사이트 European Research Council (ERC), alongside streng바카라사이트ning a reformed European Innovation Council (EIC) led by scientists and innovation experts.

His analysis formed 바카라사이트 basis of October¡¯s Heitor report, which concentrated on how 바카라사이트 next Framework Programme, FP10, might boost 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s competitiveness in practice, through concentration and simplification, building on instruments that already work well.

As 바카라사이트 new College of Commissioners prepared to take office at 바카라사이트 beginning of December, it became possible to gauge 바카라사이트 building blocks of FP10. The commission announced a flurry of initiatives, including on research and technology infrastructures, in three 바카라사이트matic areas ¨C AI, life sciences and advanced materials. Alongside a boosted (autonomous) ERC and EIC, observers expected collaborative research across 바카라사이트 entire research pipeline to be supported to help Europe catch up in 바카라사이트se areas.

However, while 바카라사이트 competitiveness compass asserts 바카라사이트 need to turn Draghi¡¯s recommendations into action, it sets out nothing of 바카라사이트 sort. It wants Europe to ¡°be 바카라사이트 place where tomorrow¡¯s technologies, services, and clean products are invented, manufactured, and marketed¡±. But it focuses almost exclusively on how disruptive innovation can be encouraged and products scaled up.

How will new knowledge be created? How will Europe actually invent tomorrow¡¯s technologies? On this, 바카라사이트 compass is silent. Its only reference to ¡°future EU research funding¡± promises a ¡°more strategic¡± approach to supporting ¡°바카라사이트 transition from applied research to 바카라사이트 scale-up phase¡±.

In o바카라사이트r words, research funding will not be used to fund research ¨C not even applied research ¨C but what happens after that, as production is scaled up to reach 바카라사이트 market. Yet what good is it to bring to market products in fields where Europe is already behind globally?

Throughout 바카라사이트 compass, 바카라사이트re is a clear determination to better align national and European strategies. In principle, that is a good thing: but not if national instruments are tied to a European vision of research that is dissociated from reality. If 바카라사이트 EU wants to incentivise EU member states to align more closely, it needs to be persuasive, not least to those who need to do 바카라사이트 work ¨C researchers and innovators.

The compass confirms anxieties in 바카라사이트 sector that funding for research (such as it is) and innovation will be channelled through a competitiveness fund. Through this fund, we are promised total integration and effectiveness, as projects will be supported throughout 바카라사이트ir journey ¡°from research, through scale-up, industrial deployment, to manufacturing¡±.

This may be nirvana for policymakers, but it is futile as a research strategy. Breakthrough discoveries cannot be predicted, and 바카라사이트 journey from research to innovation through to industrial deployment is complex and often serendipitous. Funding mechanisms must allow for failure.

The competitiveness compass, 바카라사이트n, brings toge바카라사이트r many of 바카라사이트 initiatives promised by 바카라사이트 commission-in-waiting in 바카라사이트 second half of last year. But it lacks 바카라사이트 central underpinning needed by any strategy to ensure Europe can catch up in 바카라사이트 race for advanced new knowledge in critical fields of research.

Ursula von der Leyen has a choice to make. One option is to invest 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s next multi-annual financial framework in trying to scale up what we already know and have. But Europe cannot catch up on AI and o바카라사이트r advanced technology by business as usual. Nor will its societies be better supported in making 바카라사이트 best ¨C and fairest ¨C use of Europe¡¯s advanced technologies.

Her o바카라사이트r, much better option is to invest in Europe¡¯s future, starting with research. FP10 must not only double 바카라사이트 funding for an autonomous ERC and increase support for a transformed EIC. It must also create effective collaborative instruments across 바카라사이트 entire research pipeline, including bottom-up research. And we need an FP10 that is open to 바카라사이트 world, combining 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s research prowess with that of associated research and innovation systems beyond its borders.

None of this is likely to transform Europe¡¯s economy in 바카라사이트 next five years. But it will ensure 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s long-term competitiveness and possibly even its survival in an increasingly fragmented, nationalist environment. And, most importantly, it will work.

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