On 14-15 February, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU hosted an informal meeting for the ministers responsible for research and innovation from the EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The ministers participated in an exchange of views and working sessions directly linked to the three main Presidency R&I priorities: open strategic autonomy, promotion of knowledge, as well as strengthening the role of research. The discussions focused on the following topics:
- The transformative nature of the European framework for research and innovation
- Encouraging intersectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration at every level: universities, research centers, companies, policymakers and citizens
- Technological development to accelerate industrial decarbonisation and strengthen the EU’s competitiveness.
The next official meeting of the EU Competitiveness Council (Research) is scheduled for 23 May 2024 in Brussels. Two Council Conclusions, one on knowledge valorisation and one on the ex-post evaluation of Horizon 2020, as well as a Council Recommendation on knowledge security, are expected to be adopted.