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The EU institutions started Union-wide consultation process contributed to the preparation of the new European R&I strategy, including a public call for evidence and several dedicated conferences and events. The strategy intends to support and coordinate numerous running and expected EU initiatives to strengthen research, innovation and competitiveness, including startups and AI in science, and digital innovation research in the member states.
Background
The Commission acknowledged that the member states have to both facilitate and heavily invest in creating “new capacities” for best research and innovation infrastructures (R&I), in order to consolidate European position as a global leader in science and innovation and attract top talent. It is expected that increased investment in strategically important technology infrastructures shall be fit into driving EU’s competitiveness, resilience and technological sovereignty, and to translate research into market-ready innovation. Thus, the new European strategy for research and technology infrastructures (SRTI) sets out long-term efforts “to expand and strengthen” the system, and “maximising its contribution to the European scientific, technological and industrial future”, as is noted in Commission’s “founding communication”.
More in: https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/document/009f0f91-74d3-4b94-9d79-55668cfd5a78_en
For decades, Europe has been a vital and influential center of world-class science and research breakthroughs, which even at present form the foundation of Europe’s R&I systems; they are the data producers for science, for generating and managing vast amounts of reliable data that drive fundamental research and are indispensable for addressing global challenges such as tackling climate change, pandemic preparedness and combatting hybrid threats.
The EU R&I strategy supports and inks up with the numerous running and expected European initiatives to strengthen research, innovation and competitiveness, such as the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy, the upcoming AI in Science Strategy, European Innovation Act and European Research Area Act.
Bottom line: the new strategy’s overarching objective is to ensure that scientists, researchers, innovators, inventors, and industry in Europe have at their disposal easily accessible, cutting-edge facilities, high-quality data and tailored services that drive scientific and technological
excellence, industrial competitiveness and well-being of people.
The EU’s “fifth freedom”
Based on existing four basic freedoms – people, goods, services and capital – the Commission suggests a new type, i.e. the “freedom of research and technology”, New strategy supports the realisation of the ‘fifth freedom’ of the EU single market regarding the free circulation of researchers, scientific knowledge and technology in the European Research Area (ERA), promoting innovation and technological progress. It will help unlock the full potential of Europe’s leading role as a science powerhouse in various strategic sectors such as the AI models, life sciences, earth observation, quantum technologies, fusion energy, biotechnology, clean and renewable energy technologies and advanced materials, as well as with the strategy to improve the framework conditions for start-ups and scale-ups in the EU.
As the EU strives to assert its global lead in the clean transition and bolster its competitiveness and strategic autonomy, it is imperative that the R&I efforts are not only strengthened, they are fully leveraging the potential of research and technology infrastructures to meet Europe’s target of investing 3% of GDP in research and development (R&D).
Research and technology infrastructures are also critical factors for closing Europe’s innovation gap with other world regions and countries, in line with the Draghi report and the Competitiveness Compass, providing the facilities where breakthrough ideas are developed, matured and transformed into market-ready solutions.
By leveraging their collective strengths and capabilities, these infrastructures have the potential to pool resources, share knowledge, and coordinate efforts across the wider European R&I system. As research infrastructures and technology infrastructures complement each other, the EU is adopting a more holistic system to exploit synergies in the available R&I services and simplify access for users, in line with the EU political priorities. Such an approach would drive scientific excellence in frontier research, fuel deep tech innovation and revitalise strategic value chains. Europe must provide the capacities for innovative companies, including startups and scaleups, to access advanced facilities, validate technologies, develop corresponding standards and accelerate market entry. An ambitious, coordinated approach to infrastructures is essential to strengthen Europe’s innovation fabric and economic security, empower its next generation of industrial champions, and secure a sustainable competitive edge in the global technology race.
Problems to overcome
The general R&I strategy’s idea seems good enough; although it could be quite difficult to overcome some problems imbedded in the European integration process. Some of them have been indicated by former EU officials, other appeared through global challenges.
See, e.g. “EU-wide competitiveness: challenges and perspectives in Draghi report”, in:
https://www.integrin.dk/2024/09/09/eu-wide-competitiveness-challenges-and-perspectives-in-draghi-report/
Even the EU “explanatory note”, so-called “communication” has mentioned existing challenges that could be extremely complicated to overcome; in the words of the Commission, “Europe’s ability to build a strong infrastructure ecosystem is being held back”. Thus, the list includes, e.g.:
= Fragmented policies and funding in the member states. While research infrastructures benefit
from strategic planning via European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI, is the EU-wide main R&I governing body), the technology infrastructures lack a coherent EU approach to investment. Budget constraints, scattered funding, and limited private investment are
slowing progress.
= Limited collaboration across infrastructures. Cross-sector, and cross-border synergies remain underused, restricting access, missing opportunities and reinforcing regional disparities.
= Insufficient access opportunities and complex access procedures. Complex procedures, high costs and poor visibility limit accessibility to researchers and companies. This is particularly the case for startups as flagged in the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy.
= Skills gaps. Rapid technological change and an increasingly diverse user-base demands for constant upskilling to keep infrastructures at the cutting edge, ensure they are attractive to top talent and enrich the experience of their partners.
= Untapped potential of digitalisation and AI adoption. Increasing digitalisation, data sharing and the use of AI by infrastructures are needed to strengthen their functionality and resilience and reducing costs of operation and access.
= Hampered reuse of data for research. Soaring research data volumes, particularly in fields with deep AI integration are outpacing the EU and states’ capacity to put it to use. Storing and managing these increasing volumes of data efficiently and securely based on FAIR principles are essential.
Note. FAIR stands for data that is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (Wilkinson, M., Dumontier, M., Aalbersberg, I. et al. The FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship. – Sci Data 3, 160018 (2016).
The strategy suggests five main approaches and measures to resolve the mentioned problems:
1) strengthening the European ecosystem of research and technology infrastructures through a holistic approach to capacity building and mobilising investments, improving the alignment of user needs and available facilities and services, while ensuring alignment with EU strategic priorities;
2) bolstering the accessibility of research and technology infrastructures as a continuum of complementary services for researchers and innovative companies, including startups and scaleups, across the EU, in order to support scientific breakthroughs and boost technology development, testing and validation, accelerating their societal and market-readiness;
3) attracting and cultivating talent in Europe through strong career pathways in research and technology infrastructures, from technicians to scientific leaders, developing new skills and competences, benefitting from the wider Choose Europe;
On Choose Europe, see: https://commission.europa.eu/topics/research-and-innovation/choose-europe_en
4) improving and simplifying the governance framework for research and technology infrastructures to support long-term investment decisions and promote the alignment of priorities among the EU states and stakeholders, strengthening coordination across funding sources and increasing the impact of public investment;
5) increasing international R&I dimension and resilience infrastructures through cooperation with strategic partners addressing global societal challenges, improving the integration of candidate and associated countries in the ERA, while at the same time supporting management of risks, in particular related to access to critical data and facilities, fostering EU’s sovereignty in critical technologies.
More in: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_2097
More on research and technology infrastructures
Research and technology infrastructures are the backbone of Europe’s research and innovation systems, driving scientific excellence from fundamental research to breakthrough innovation. The significance of research and technology infrastructures was emphasised in both the mentioned above Draghi report on “The future of EU competitiveness” and the “Align, Act and Accelerate” report by the Commission Expert Group on the Interim Evaluation of Horizon Europe (in 2024).
More on the Commission’s evaluation on 130pp and 12 recommendations in: https://www.horizontevropa.cz/files_public/elfinder/6357/align%20act%20accelerate-KI0124014ENN.pdf
These infrastructures will be key to the mentioned “fifth freedom”, i.e. the free movement of research, innovation and knowledge, underpinning the entire research and innovation (R&I) system. Achieving this requires increased investment to build, upgrade and operate these infrastructures to bolster EU competitiveness and leadership in frontier science.
= Research Infrastructures (RIs) are large-scale facilities providing state-of-the-art equipment, laboratories, and digital resources for science, research and innovation. They include major equipment or set of instruments, collections, archives and scientific data infrastructures, generally publicly owned and sustained. The primary purpose of research infrastructures is to pursue scientific excellence by ensuring that researchers have access to state-of-the-art equipment, laboratories, and digital resources, particularly those that would be too costly or complex for individual institutions to develop. They include, amongst others, major equipment or set of instruments, collections, archives and scientific data infrastructures, generally publicly owned and sustained.
= Technology Infrastructures (TIs) are facilities for developing, testing, validating, and scaling up technologies. They include pilot lines, pilot plants and demonstration facilities, cleanrooms, test beds, and living labs that support market adoption and reduce the risk for companies.
Reference to: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_25_2098