Eastern Europe still lags behind the west when it comes to research and innovation (R&I) performance. The European Commission sought to address this through Horizon Europe, with its “widening and strengthening” agenda – a €3.3 billion plan to broaden networks and cooperation platforms across the EU. In parallel, it set out a vision for a revitalised European Research Area, aiming to create a single market for R&I to help boost public and private investments and accelerate reforms in national systems and policies.
Then in February of this year, the world changed with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The repercussions have spread throughout the international scientific community – and especially so in those central and eastern European (CEE) countries nearest to the conflict. In the short term, the crisis has sharpened minds and attention on the importance of solidarity, while raising vital longer-term questions of capacity-building, resilience and security in the region. With the war appearing unlikely to end anytime soon, how should R&I institutions – both in CEE and elsewhere in the world – plan for the future? What are the implications for industry and investors? Are there some clear, basic principles for scientific sanctions that the research world can adopt – in this, and all future cases of geopolitical tension? On the other hand, what can science diplomacy achieve? Can the Ukrainian situation accelerate lasting change and ultimately deliver the wider, stronger R&I landscape that European policy makers have been dreaming of?
On September 7, Science|Business invites to the netwerk conference "United Europe: Widening R&I cooperation in times of war" with a series of high-level discussions on the future of scientific cooperation in times of conflict. Among the speakers are:
- Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, European
- Jana Kolar, Chair, European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI)
- Olga Polotska, Executive Director, National Research Foundation of Ukraine
- Alain Beretz, President, COST Association
The conference will also see the launch of "The Widening" – a brand-new Science|Business media service which will shine a spotlight on latest R&I dynamics and developments in CEE countries, for the wider benefit of everyone looking to engage in the region.
