Make Brussels work

The Policy Bridge: an independent channel for news and events dedicated to EU innovation and R&D policy

Making EU innovation work better is the objective of the Policy Bridge. At present, key policy decisions are made in a democratic vacuum – decisions affecting how universities work, how tech companies get started, how inventions are protected or investors are rewarded. When it comes to these strands of innovation policy, coordination between Brussels and the 27 national capitals is slight. And the voices of smart outsiders – on university campuses, inside corporate labs, and in professional consulting organisations – are only intermittently heard. As the Economist put it in June, the typical Brussels policy meeting comprises "good coffee and croissants, dull speeches and a brief exchange of conventional wisdom."

The need for change is urgent. Europe’s innovation performance is lagging – in fact, one European Commission staff analysis forecast that, at the rate China and India are rising and the EU is sinking, Europe may one day be the home of just 10 per cent of global knowledge creation. Already, its universities are not keeping up: only two Europeans figure on the most widely watched list of the world’s top 20 universities, and only 26 per cent have at least one department that ranks, by scientific citation, as world-class. At the same time, if you want to start a company based on research in Europe, there’s less than a third as much early-stage capital available than in the US. Patent activity is lower. Academic tenure and pension systems make mobility harder. And taxes are death.

Improving the political dialogue

The Science|Business Policy Bridge is an initiative to do something about all this – starting with improving the political dialogue. This network aims at bringing fresh ideas into the European policy debate, by improving the way policy makers, business leaders

and academics are interacting. We will bring content-experts into the discussion, we will avoid being too Brussels-centred by giving voice to national and regional proposals, we will follow through on the debate during events by using our leading communicators with unique insight into R&D and the EU to develop innovative-format media campaigns.

Today, we launch the online activities of the Bridge – expanded news of innovation policy, guest opinions on policy, and an updated calendar of Bridge events. The first such meeting is 28 November: a roundtable on “New Perspectives on Education and Skills for the 21st Century.” Guest speakers include Odile Quintin, Director General for Education and Culture, European Commission. Subsequent meetings will focus on other aspects of innovation policy: EU R&D spending priorities, intellectual property protection, and fiscal reform. The Science|Business Summit, in May, will be a broad conference on new models and policies to make university–industry collaboration a reality in Europe.

How you can participate? Join our founding corporate members, including Procter & Gamble, Microsoft and EuropaBio, and help us steer the Policy Bridge programmes. Or sign up as an individual member and enjoy full access to Bridge events and content.

Visit the home page for the Policy Bridge: http://www.sciencebusiness.net/bridges/policy/