Discussions on competitiveness and inclusive prosperity round out inaugural EUA R&I Forum

Almost a year after the launch of the EUA Research & Innovation Agenda 2027, this event provided an invaluable opportunity to look back at what EUA has achieved in the area of R&I and look ahead to new areas of activity together with our members.

As such, the Forum brought together university leaders and experts closely involved in EUA’s work on R&I topics* for discussions on innovation, Open Science and the reform of academic career assessment. This was followed by a session on the current landscape, challenges and opportunities in European R&I with Marc Lemaître, the European Commission’s Director-General for Research and Innovation.

Secondly, the R&I Forum set about reflecting on future developments and trends at EU level that could shape R&I activities at universities. Through future thinking exercises, participants explored the role of university R&I in strengthening European competitiveness and prosperity with a view to being both responsive and proactive as a sector. The outcomes of this session will further enable the implementation of the EUA R&I Agenda and the Association’s various other workstreams.

Finally, the Forum opened up to the public and fellow R&I stakeholders in Brussels. During a high-level roundtable, Maria Cristina Russo, Director for Prosperity at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, MEP Lina Gálvez Muñoz and Jim Livesey, Vice-President for Research & Innovation at the University of Galway joined the debate on how to ensure that R&I promotes inclusive prosperity by strengthening the societal impact of universities and their transnational collaboration.

Following a busy day of discussions, EUA Vice-President Paul Boyle noted that:

“This is a critical moment in the evolution of the European research and innovation system.  There is a growing consensus that research and innovation must be at the heart of driving European prosperity and competitiveness.  Hence, the first EUA Research and Innovation Forum was held in Brussels to bring together senior leaders to discuss how this could be achieved.”

He added that:

“As we prepare for the next Multiannual Financial Framework, and reflect on the various ideas about how the next Framework Programme should be framed, this was a perfect opportunity to gather the views of colleagues. Our reflections will help shape EUA’s positioning over the next period, as we help to shape a more ambitious, collaborative and imaginative European research and innovation system.”

*Participants included members of EUA’s Research and Innovation Strategy Group, representatives of EUA’s collective members (national rectors’ conferences and national university associations), as well as the chairs and vice-chairs of EUA’s Expert Group on Innovation and Expert Group on Open Science.