Brussels announces new strategy to excel in science and technology innovation

The European Commission has launched a new strategy on research and technology infrastructures to boost Europe’s science and technology innovation.

Countries like the United States and the United Kingdom have announced investments in AI technology worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Therefore, the European Union can’t afford to stay behind.

“To remain a frontrunner in the global race for science and innovation, Europe must reinforce decisively its research and technology infrastructures and make them even more integrated and accessible to a wider range of users,” the European Commission says in a press release.

To achieve this goal, scientists, innovators, and businesses must have access to cutting-edge research facilities, including top laboratories and high-end equipment like particle accelerators and clean rooms. High-performance research and technology infrastructures are essential.

Europe’s strategy to advance its science and technology infrastructures requires increased investments to bolster the EU’s competitiveness and leadership. The European Commission tends to achieve this by strengthening Europe’s research and technology ecosystem by increasing capacities, mobilizing investments, and better aligning available facilities and services with user needs.

Secondly, the Commission wants to improve access to research and technology infrastructures for start-ups and scale-ups across the EU. Attracting and cultivating talent in Europe is the EU’s executive branch’s third pillar to improve its research and technology infrastructures.

Furthermore, the European Commission aims to simplify the management of research and technology facilities, making long-term investments more sensible. Lastly, the Commission wants to incite international cooperation to tackle global challenges.

“An ambitious and coordinated European approach to research and technology infrastructures is crucial for us to remain a global leader in excellent science and in technology innovation. With our new strategy, we will ensure that scientists, researchers, and innovators across Europe, including startups and scaleups, have easy access to state-of-the-art facilities and tailored services to develop and test their products and services,” Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, says in a statement.

Back in April, the European Commission adopted the AI Continent Action Plan to become “a global leader in artificial intelligence.” This plan includes setting up multiple AI ‘gigafactories’ that are equipped with 100,000 state-of-the-art AI chips.