Research Ministers discuss transformative nature of European framework for R&I and how to strengthen EU’s competitiveness

The ministers responsible for research and innovation from the EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom held an informal meeting in La Hulpe (Belgium) on 14-15 February 2024. At the invitation of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the ministers discussed the transformative nature of the European framework for R&I and how technological development can accelerate the decarbonisation of industry and strengthen the EU's competitiveness. During a working lunch, the ministers focused on intersectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration. The meeting was chaired by Willy Borsus, Vice-President of the Walloon Government. The European Commission delegation was led by EU Research Commissioner Iliana Ivanova. On the evening before the meeting, the ministers were invited to Château de La Hulpe, a majestic 19th-century building located in the Solvay regional estate.

In the background paper for the first working session, the Belgian Presidency outlined the evolution of the transformative nature of the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP), which was also summarised by the European Commission in a Policy Brief in October 2023. “The successive Framework Programmes have increasingly broadened their policy goals from mainly focusing on pre-competitive collaborative research in order to strengthen the European scientific and technological bases, to integrating more transformative innovation policies that focus on tackling societal challenges and fostering deeper systemic societal transformation”, the Belgian Presidency refers to new instruments and tools that have been gradually added to the FP over the past 40 years. One of the questions raised in the discussion was which changes should be made to the Framework Programmes and their design process in order to maintain or strengthen the core task(s).

From the Belgian Presidency's perspective, the promotion of cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary cooperation plays a central role in European policy, particularly in the field of research and innovation, in order to promote sustainable development and social progress and to provide policy makers with scientific knowledge. The Lunch Debate was therefore dedicated to this topic, and the ministers shared successful models and best practices from their respective countries regarding the promotion of intersectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration in R&I. Furthermore, they discussed how the private sector and companies can contribute more effectively to interdisciplinary R&I.

The second working session focused on the question how technological development can accelerate the decarbonisation of industry and strengthen the EU's competitiveness. “The development and deployment of new materials and of technologies such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage solutions, the electrification of industrial processes, the increased use of renewable energy and the adoption of more energy-efficient production practices are key elements to reach the EU’s sustainability goals, especially, the ambition of net-zero emissions by 2050”, the Belgian Presidency stated in the background paper. In the discussion, the ministers addressed, among other questions, how the EU can promote a culture of innovation and research in the industrial sector, particularly in SMEs, and at the same time generate cross-sectoral spill-over effects, in order to maintain its global industrial leadership.

The next official meeting of the EU Competitiveness Council (Research) is scheduled for 23 May 2024 in Brussels.

For more information: Informal meeting of competitiveness ministers (Research and innovation) (europa.eu)