On 1 January, Belgium officially commenced its six-month Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU). The main priorities in the area of Research and Innovation (R&I) included in the programme of the Belgian Presidency, are:
- Contribution of research and innovation to the strengthening and modernising the European industry to achieve more open strategic autonomy in health, clean-tech, food, digitalisation, disruptive and key enabling technologies
- Better valorisation of research results, which is key for reducing the innovation gap, tailoring academic research to the needs of society, policy-makers and industries
- Reinforcing the role of research and innovation in society to enhance trust and engagement in science and better address societal and environmental challenges.
Other areas of focus include the importance of space activities as a strategic asset, particularly in domains such as security, defense, climate change mitigation, as well as cybersecurity and secure connectivity and to promote the safe, sustainable, and secure use of space.
The Presidency plans to advance R&I in the nuclear field, including the ITER project. It will also foster responsible international cooperation based on openness, dedicated partnerships, and common standards.
Furthermore, the Presidency will aim to maximise the economic, scientific, and societal impact of the EU R&I Framework Programme, taking into account studies on Horizon 2020 the ongoing mid-term evaluation of Horizon Europe.
The Belgian Presidency is planning to adopt 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.
R&I-related events and meetings
The following events will be organised under the auspices of the Belgian Presidency:
Ministerial meetings in the Council of the EU
- Informal ministerial meeting on 14-15 February in la Hulpe
- Competitiveness Council (Research and Space) meetings on 23 May in Brussels
- Ministerial Dialogue on principles and values in international research and innovation cooperation on 15-16 February in Brussels
High-level conferences related to R&I
- Meetings and workshops: Tackling PFAS pollution & Launch Knowledge Center Innovative Remediation Solutions on 1-2 February in Antwerp
- Research to Reality: Digital Solutions to European Challenges Presidency Conference on 5-6 February in Brussels
- Cyber Resilience in Space Workshop: Mapping Challenges, Forging Resilience on 8 February in Brussels
- Workshop on Medical Radioisotopes on 28 February in Brussels
- European Mission Forum: Towards a scientific health policy in Mozambique on 6-7 March in Brussels
- Open Food Conference on 11-13 March in Leuven
- Presidency Conference on Unlocking the Power of Science Communication in Research and Policy Making on 12-13 March in Brussels
- Bioeconomy Changemakers Festival on 13-14 March in Brussels
- Presidency Conference on Digital Transformation and Media Innovation: Media Innovation Xchange on 13-14 March in Brussels
- The European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and national/regional open science policy event on 16 April in Brussels
- Presidency Conference: Circular Economy Conference: “Europe’s Leading Role in Mainstreaming Circular practice” on 17 April in Brussels
- Presidency Conference Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions 2024 on 18-19 April in Mons
- Security Research Conference on 29-30 April in Charleroi
- Conference on the convergence of technologies enabling R&I for the healthcare of the future on 28-29 May in Brussels
The full list of R&I-related events is included on the Presidency’s website.