The Science|Business annual public conference (09:30-17:30 CET)
Following her re-election as European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen has pledged to put “research and innovation, science and technology, at the centre of our economy” during her next five-year mandate. The rationale for doing so has multiple drivers: a growing innovation gap between Europe, the US and China; increasingly ambitious decarbonisation goals; defence and security threats from war in Ukraine and the Middle East, spurring geopolitical interest in further EU enlargement; and the need for productivity gains to support sustainable growth and competitiveness, among others.
The urgency to act has also been highlighted by the flagship reports from Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi, and more recently in the recommendations of the independent expert group chaired by Manuel Heitor. Unsurprisingly, each call for massive increases in R&I financing to achieve long-term policy goals – yet do so against a backdrop of national economic constraints and political schisms across the continent. By extension, early indicators from within the Commission suggest that a radical restructuring of budget lines is being considered for the years ahead, in order to channel science and technology investments through a macro-level competitiveness instrument.
So as the EU institutions begin their deliberations on both the next multi-year budget (2028-2034) and a successor to Horizon Europe (FP10), how will Ms. von der Leyen’s rhetoric play out in reality? This question lies at the heart of the 2025 Science|Business Annual Network Conference. Among the key issues to be explored in February: Can member-states be persuaded to put more money into the R&I pot, or is a fully-fledged capital markets union the only realistic way to achieve the desired scale of investment? Will the prospective competitiveness fund transform R&I funding and governance for better or for worse? Should the Commission opt for revolution or evolution when it comes to FP10, not least in the context of the Widening agenda and industry-led partnerships? How would a “whole-of-government” approach work in practice in the next framework programme? Does Europe need its own ARPA-style mechanism to foster breakthrough innovation? And how will geopolitics affect future models of international cooperation and the balance between research security, integrity and openness?
On February 5-6, Science|Business will convene leading figures from the worlds of policy, industry and research, along with the members of its international Network, to address these questions and more. Join us in Brussels and online for the first series of public high-level debates on the future of R&I as the EU’s new mandate begins in earnest.
09:00 WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS
09:05 PLENARY SESSION
Full speed ahead: What next for R&I as the new Commission gets down to business?
With the next European Commission now approved and installed, attention turns to how President von der Leyen’s rhetoric about “R&I, science and tech, at the heart of the economy” will be turned into reality. In this opening session, discussions will focus on the burning issues in R&I that will define the first few months of action for the College of Commissioners, as implementation of the new mandate gets under way in earnest.
10:00 COFFEE BREAK
10:30 PARALLEL SESSIONS
Dual-track, high-level panel debates about two of the most important framing conditions for European R&I policy over the next five years: budget and geopolitics.
Session 1 – Money no object: How will the EU finance its science and tech ambitions?
In line with the Draghi report and various high-level analyses, Europe’s R&I ecosystem will need a massive long-term cash injection – among other reforms – to meet policy goals around competitiveness, security, resilience and productivity. Yet economic realities make it unlikely that the required investment will come from member states themselves. This session will explore the options available to the EU to enlarge the R&I pot, such as a fully-fledged capital markets union, attaching R&I conditions to other EU funds, and removing barriers to industrial R&D financing.
Session 2 – The geopolitics of R&D: How to balance openness with security?
Even before the outcome of November’s US elections, the boundaries and time-honoured principles of international science cooperation were changing in fundamental ways. With geopolitical tensions and research security concerns continuing to rise around the globe, this session will address the realpolitik informing the EU’s new mandate and reflect on the potential implications for its international R&I strategy, both inside and outside of its flagship Framework Programmes.
11:20 TRANSITION BREAK
11:30 BREAKOUT SESSIONS – BLOCK ONE
In her political guidelines, President von der Leyen committed to leverage R&I to revamp Europe’s industrial strategy and competitiveness, creating a new executive vice-president post and portfolio to oversee this agenda moving forward. However, the EU’s track record in this area has had mixed results over decades, and various recent reports have highlighted the tendency to channel R&D investments into mature technologies and sectors. In this part of the agenda, a select number of more in-depth, interactive sessions will look at key pillars of the “new” approach.
NB: the themes outlined below are indicative, and may change before the end of the year.
- Science for life: Is Europe equipped to create the next generation of game-changers?
- Decarb this: What will the Clean Industrial Deal mean for R&D?
- High risk, high reward: Does Europe need an ARPA model to turbo-charge its innovation ecosystem?
- Food security: A new vision for Europe and the world?
- Safe and sound: Where next for Europe’s defence and security R&I agenda?
12:30 NETWORKING LUNCH
13:30 Health innovation: Can global partnerships step up to the next level?
When it comes to boosting trade and competitiveness, healthcare sectors are seen as “jewels in the crown” by many advanced R&D nations – yet health innovation extends far beyond pure economics, affecting the lives of billions of people. Given the current political push for greater autonomy and sovereignty, in Europe and beyond, this session will explore the wider case for sustaining global cooperation in health R&I, and the potential means to do so.
14:30 TRANSITION BREAK
14:45 PARALLEL SESSIONS – BLOCK TWO
For many R&I stakeholders, perhaps the biggest questions of all surround the future of the EU’s framework programme for research beyond Horizon Europe. The afternoon parallel sessions will focus on a select number of transversal themes at the interface between the new mandate and the wider debate about the priorities, structure and purpose of FP10.
NB: the themes outlined below are indicative, and may change before the end of the year.
- Added value: Can Widening countries become a driver of European competitiveness?
- Collaborative R&D: How to get industry and SMEs back on board?
- Talent attraction: How to meet the demand for tech innovators and entrepreneurs?
- Start me up: What do new and scaling companies need to succeed?
- Join the club: Is it time to rethink the framework of association?
15:45 COFFEE BREAK
16:15 “SCIENCE IN THE SPOTLIGHT” SESSION
Keynote speaker and theme TBC
16:35 PLENARY SESSION
Evolution vs. revolution: What next on the road to FP10?
Our closing plenary session will address the next steps and process that the European Commission will follow in drafting its initial proposals for FP10, which are due to be published around the summer of 2025. Above all, it will shine more light on how the research and innovation directorate will approach the challenge of balancing strategic priorities from the EU’s new mandate with recommendations from the Letta, Draghi and Heitor reports, among others.
17:30 CONFERENCE CLOSE & NETWORKING RECEPTION
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Benefits include:
• Speaking opportunities in the form of keynote speeches or panel discussions.
• Tailored plenary and breakout sessions around topics jointly decided with partners.
• Access to VIP meetings with EU senior officials and other thought leaders from the international R&I community.
• Promotion of specific materials such as videos, podcasts and publications.
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