Going global: Report of the Science|Business Framework Programme Working Group

International cooperation in research is not merely about improving European science and technology. It is a tool for diplomacy, trade and peace. It lends a helping hand to developing countries and provides concrete areas of cooperation with other countries. It should not sit isolated as an add-on to the EU’s internal R&I programmes. It is the very raison d’être of Europe and, like all values, should be borderless.

But the Commission’s track record in international cooperation is a puzzling mix of highs and lows. Its ambition, in its Horizon 2020 targets, is high; and one should not forget that, at least by policy, Horizon 2020 can claim to be the most open R&I programme in the world. But in practice, there have been many problems: Difficulties with funding, IP agreements, evaluations, local politics and geopolitics