site.btaEU Commissioner Zaharieva Tells EP that Europe Must Become Global Research Powerhouse

Addressing the European Parliament (EP) on Thursday, European Commissioner for Startups, Research, and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, said Europe must become "the best place on the globe to conduct research, the place where young people choose to build their careers".

“Europe is determined to start a new age of invention and ingenuity. We are making a clear choice to place research and innovation at the heart of our societies and economies. Europe is choosing science. Today, this choice is more urgent than ever. Science is a source of prosperity, but it is also fundamental for our sovereignty and economic security, our resilience, democracy, and leading role on the global stage. Scientific leadership in AI or quantum is directly linked to the ability to protect our society and our values. We need talent to progress in these crucial technological domains,” Zaharieva emphasized.

According to her, global research and development has recently surpassed EUR 2.5 trillion per year. “At the same time, we also see science exploited for political aims, and academic freedom is under pressure. Last month, we had the opportunity to discuss developments on the other side of the Atlantic. Universities and fields like vaccine science and climate research are being targeted by funding cuts—but it is not only in the United States. Elsewhere around the globe, scientists are instrumentalized at best and openly attacked at worst. In conflict zones, schools and universities are not spared. In Ukraine, Putin’s war has physically damaged over 1,400 science-related buildings, affected 30% of all research institutions, and displaced 20% of Ukrainian scientists,”  the Commissioner said. 

Zaharieva informed that the European Commission is preparing legislative changes to accelerate the attraction of global scientific talent. According to her, the EU’s goal is to ensure that by 2030, the budget for research will reach 3% of GDP.

She also said that the EU will adopt legislation to protect the freedom of scientific research. In her words, under the Horizon Europe programme, candidates from 194 countries around the world are involved.