Independent experts call for increased investment to strengthen Europe’s research and innovation leadership

October 17, 2024 by European Union 1 Comment

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

More excellent research, impactful innovation and technology scale-ups are needed to make Europe more globally competitive, secure and sustainable. These are among the twelve expert recommendations presented today to the Commission to strengthen Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme, and its successor.

The recommendations have been drafted by an independent group of 15 leading experts chaired by Manuel Heitor, former secretary of state for science, technology and higher education of Portugal. Their report, entitled ‘Align, Act, Accelerate: Research, Technology and Innovation to boost European Competitiveness’, highlights the European added value of the EU framework programme for research and innovation (R&I), and puts forward twelve recommendations:

Adopt a whole-of-government approach to align research and innovation with the EU strategy for competitiveness and a clean, digital economy.
Boost Europe’s global competitiveness by fostering impactful research, innovation and scale-ups through a stronger framework programme.
Deliver European added value via a portfolio of actions focused on competitive excellence, industrial competitiveness, societal challenges and a strong research and innovation ecosystem.
Establish an experimental unit to launch disruptive innovation programmes with fast funding options, such as “ARPA-style” initiatives.
Strengthen competitive excellence by expanding funding for European Research Council, European Innovation Council and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions to attract top talent.
Create an Industrial Competitiveness and Technology Council to enhance industrial research and innovation investment and ensure relevance to strategic autonomy.
Form a Societal Challenges Council to address key societal issues, align with EU strategic priorities and engage with philanthropy and civil society.
Build an inclusive and attractive EU R&I ecosystem by securing long-term investments, fostering university alliances and encouraging Member States’ co-investment.
Simplify the programme by reducing administrative burdens, embracing agile funding and streamlining application processes.
Develop an innovation procurement programme to stimulate industrial scaling through demand-driven solutions.
Approach international cooperation with a nuanced strategy, tailoring partnerships to specific domains and global geopolitical considerations.
Optimise dual-use technology innovation by managing civilian and military R&I programmes separately, leveraging benefits for national security and civilian needs.

Building on these recommendations, the independent experts are calling for an increased, more focused and protected budget. According to their analysis, this investment would position Europe as a leader in international R&I collaboration and governance.

Background

The high-level group on the interim evaluation of Horizon Europe brought together 15 experts from across Europe with a wide range of backgrounds.

The group was tasked in December 2023 to provide concrete recommendations to the Commission on how to enhance the EU R&I programme in the short and longer term. The recommendations build on extensive stakeholder consultations and a wide body of evidence and analysis, including external studies.

For More Information

Full report: ‘Align, Act, Accelerate: Research, Technology and Innovation to boost European Competitiveness

Report launch event

Quote(s)

Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth

Discover more from The European Sting - Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology - europeansting.com

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

©UNIFIL /Kandice Ardiel UN peacekeepers in Lebanon examine remnants of a drone that detonated inside the mission’s Naqoura headquarters.

Peacekeepers step up support as families return to south Lebanon

July 17, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. With violence in south Lebanon significantly decreased since mid-June, UN peacekeepers there have returned to core functions such as protecting humanitarian aid and restoring critical infrastructure as families continue to return home. “The welcome reduction in violence allows our peacekeepers to do more of what we are […]

© NASA A satellite photo shows the strategically important shipping route of the Strait of Hormuz.

Gulf crisis: Guterres calls for de-escalation, warns against return to full-on war

July 16, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres voiced deep concern on Wednesday over the continuing military escalation in the Middle East amid ongoing strikes by the United States and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz. The fighting has broken an interim truce established under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by […]

© UNICEF/Josue Mulala Girls play football at an event in DR Congo.

World Cup football’s other goal: Helping young people talk about mental health

July 15, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. When Dr. Sahira Al Nahari founded Shifā Art, a Saudi Arabia-based organization using art to create conversations around mental health, she noticed that men attending her therapeutic art workshops often felt uncomfortable opening up about their feelings. At these workshops, however, men often begin by sketching football […]

© UNFPA/Jonas Yunus Health workers in North Kivu, eastern DR Congo, prepare to treat patients as the Ebola outbreak continues.

‘This is a fire’: DRC Ebola outbreak is fastest-growing ever, warns WHO

July 14, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Infections of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached record highs and a majority of new cases are coming from “unknown chains of transmission”, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday. Why this matters Speaking to reporters […]

© WFP/Maxime Le Lijour The majority of homes in Gaza are still barley habitable.

World News in Brief: Aid deliveries to Gaza restricted, UN prepares El Nino response, El Salvador eliminates disease

July 14, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is calling for greater humanitarian access to Gaza, warning that restrictions on aid deliveries, ongoing violence and funding shortages are severely limiting its ability to reach people in need. Tweet URL Reporting from a recent aid convoy mission, WFP Country Director for Palestine […]

Peak heat in Europe just broke historic 1970s records

July 13, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. This year marks the hottest June recorded for Western Europe and the second warmest globally, according to the latest report from a climate tracking service released on Thursday. “Heatwaves like this are what we expect to see in a changing climate,” said John Kennedy, head of climate […]

© NASA The Strait of Hormuz which separates the United Arab Emirates and Iran is a strategically important shipping route

UN chief urges Iran and US to ‘urgently resume negotiations’ as Gulf strikes escalate

July 13, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Renewed strikes and counterstrikes between Iran and the United States in the Gulf region have raised fears of a return to all‑out war, with Washington denying Tehran’s claim that it had closed the crucial Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. The US said it had struck around 140 […]

Peak heat in Europe just broke historic 1970s records

July 10, 2026

UN News Children collect water from a truck in a displaced persons camp in Gaza. (file)

Diplomats go virtual to witness Gaza displacement site up close

July 10, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Representatives from 12 countries carried out a “virtual diplomatic field visit” to a displacement site in the Gaza Strip and heard from some of the residents about their pressing needs, the United Nations said on Thursday. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Ramiz Alakbarov, and his […]

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Commission seeks feedback on commitments offered by Sanofi over possible anticompetitive conduct regarding the promotion of a flu vaccine for vulnerable patients

July 9, 2026

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission invites comments on commitments offered by Sanofi to address competition concerns regarding a communication campaign that has possibly disparaged the only rival flu vaccine recommended for vulnerable patients with risk factors. The Commission’s investigation Sanofi, headquartered in France, is a multinational […]

US-Iran war: Renewed attacks in Strait of Hormuz prompts another global energy alert

July 9, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Renewed attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz unsettled energy markets on Wednesday and prompted calls from the UN maritime agency, IMO, for “maximum restraint and de-escalation”. Amid reports that three merchant vessels were hit along with Iranian targets, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez condemned “reckless attacks” […]

When AI hurts people, who’s to blame? Global experts grapple with accountability

July 8, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Who is legally responsible when Artificial Intelligence causes harm? The issue took centre stage on Tuesday – day two of the first ever UN summit on AI governance, where leading experts warned of mounting evidence of human rights violations linked to the revolutionary technology. “Across 11 Global […]

UN News Humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip remain dire, with families in urgent need of shelter, healthcare and food.

Occupied Palestinian Territory: Aid restrictions in Gaza, ‘senseless’ infant deaths in the West Bank

July 7, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Ongoing restrictions and closures of border crossings continue to hamper delivery of critical supplies into the Gaza Strip, amid mounting concern for children there and in the West Bank, the United Nations said on Monday. UN teams in Gaza continued to collect food and fuel from the Kerem […]

About the author Sadia Khalid is a Scientist-Physician (MBBS, MD) at Tallinn University of Technology. She is driven by a commitment to advance public health and scientific understanding. With research interests spanning molecular medicine, infectious diseases, bacteriology, hepatology, and gastroenterology, she aims to contribute meaningful, evidence-based insights that support health, safety, and community awareness.

Heat, Flood, Fire: The Climate Crisis and the Body

July 6, 2026

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Sadia Khalid, a Scientist-Physician (MBBS, MD) at Tallinn University of Technologye. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on […]

UN Ukraine The aftermath of a Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv in May 2026.

Civilian dangers multiply as drones transform Ukraine’s battlefield

July 6, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. As drones reshape the battlefield in Ukraine, they are also creating new and increasingly complex dangers for civilians, threatening recovery efforts, agriculture and global food security long after the fighting ends. “The battlespace has become a lot deeper, a lot wider and a lot more lethal,” Paul […]

© WHO/PAHO PAHO has mobilised emergency health supplies from its Strategic Reserve in Panama following the earthquakes that struck the country on 24 June.

Venezuela’s earthquake-hit hospitals pushed to the brink as disease risk grows

July 3, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. A week after earthquakes tore through northern Venezuela, hospitals in La Guaira are buckling under the weight of the disaster – and the risk of disease outbreaks in shelters is rising fast. An assessment by the UN-backed Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) found that all eight health […]

Venezuela earthquake disaster: needs ‘skyrocketing’, say relief agencies

July 2, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. In Venezuela, a rescue operation in La Guaira has succeeded in getting a toddler out alive from under the rubble, six days since the double-earthquake disaster. The miraculous story of the three-year-old’s rescue in the worst-hit northern region came as tens of thousands of people remained without […]

© WFP/Maxime Le Lijour Much of Gaza will need rebuilding after the war with Israel.

Despite record $100 million shortfall, Palestine relief agency still ‘a critical platform’ for Gaza recovery

July 1, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN agency serving 5.9 million Palestine refugees, UNRWA, continues to strive to deliver on its mandate while facing an unprecedented $100 million budget shortfall, a gap it hopes to narrow during Tuesday’s pledging conference at UN Headquarters. Operating primarily on voluntary donations since its inception in the […]

© UNOCHA Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine has been regularly attacked with aerial bombs and drones.

UN details humanitarian toll of strikes on Ukrainian power industry

June 30, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Missile and drone attacks killed at least a dozen civilians in Russia and Ukraine over the weekend as both countries continue to launch long-range drone strikes. Tweet URL Ukrainian authorities reported eight civilians killed and 35 others wounded in Russian attacks on the city of Dnipro on […]