There is no doubt that constant innovation is a necessity for further European economic and growth and competitiveness. At the same time, a solid scientific basis is a prerequisite for ongoing innovation processes. Member states have excellent schools and universities that benefit from hundreds of years of tradition. However, this does not mean that in today’s world, research can survive on simple tradition and history.
The innovation process is a fast one and frankly, the speed at which the EU turns research into practice is one of its weakest points. Unfortunately, the majority of great scientific discoveries are made outside Europe, and many brilliant minds have left our continent for the US, where there are better opportunities and a brighter future for scientific projects. For clear evidence, just take a look at the Nobel prizes awarded in the last decade. Many EU policies depend on advanced technologies and new and innovative approaches. Europe must cope with a traditionally very diverse energy base. The challenge here is that while we aim to reduce our energy consumption, we are also looking for other sources, so as to reduce our dependency on external supplies.
"Unfortunately, the majority of great scientific discoveries are made outside Europe, and many brilliant minds have left our continent for the US, where there are better opportunities and a brighter future for scientific projects"
Yet without entirely new systems, designed by scientists and researchers, this will not be possible - well-developed cooperation between the member states is an absolute necessity. Given its scientific capacity, Europe should be much more ambitious and do more to become a global leader, even in relatively new fields such as space research. Due to its very nature, it has a direct impact on other sectors, such as aerospace and automotive. Galileo, the European satellite systems, could make a significant contribution to developments in new areas.
Many of the above mentioned research projects are managed by universities or run on a purely commercial basis. However, some substantial, costly and challenging projects require cooperation on a wider scale. Therefore, it makes sense to invest through common European funds, for space projects, for example. No member state is able to independently invest the huge resources that are required for research and the development of space projects. However, it is well known that space research brings many new technologies that are challenged by extreme conditions in space.
Quite often, these new materials, systems and processes end up being deployed in various areas. Furthermore, observation of earth from outer space enables us to gather vast amounts of data, which can in turn be extremely useful for research in other fields such as meteorology, agriculture, security and transport.
In addition, this research could be a helpful contribution to social sciences. The constantly increasing complexity of social relations requires new approaches and scientific knowledge on human behaviour and society as a whole. I truly believe that improving European quality of life will be determined by outstanding innovation based on research. This requires a stable legislative framework and sufficient funding.
It is for this reason that I am deeply concerned about the reallocation of funds from Horizon 2020 to the European fund for strategic investments, as recently proposed by the commission. In other words, all the EU needs in the next five years is real support for research and development and innovation - not just words.