But at the same time, there are both possible and necessary actions to reverse the trend, where investment in research, innovation and new technologies can form the basis for a future leading position for Europe.
According to the Draghi report published in September, Europe’s competitiveness situation is precarious.
Increasing the pace of innovation, lowering energy prices and reducing dependency in an unstable environment are key elements of the analysis. It calls for strong investment in innovation and new technologies, as well as a reform of the EU’s Horizon Europe research programme, which runs until 2027.
Among other things, it is proposed that the research programme should focus on fewer areas and prioritise them, better coordinate research and development investments through a common Research and Innovation Union, and improve funding and facilitate start-ups and scale-ups in the European market.
Another proposal mentioned in a report on the EU’s market published this spring is for a fifth freedom, i.e. in addition to the free movement of goods, services, capital and people, the freedom to conduct research, knowledge, innovation and education across borders.
This is also highlighted as an important way to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness in the report of the European Commission’s Expert Group for the Evaluation of EU Research Programme. Sykvia Schwaag Serger, Professor and CEO of IVA, is the lead author.
The report proposes a number of measures, including doubling the budget for future EU research programmes to €220 billion over seven years.
The report’s authors also call for a “coherent chain” that supports research and innovation results at every stage, from early research to market introduction, so that good ideas can be brought to market more quickly. In an opinion piece, they write: “Strengthening the EU Framework Programme is, in our view, the best investment we can make in the future of our continent, for competitiveness, for security and for sustainability”.
At the European level, KTH is part of the CESAER network, which focused on these issues at its recent meeting in Glasgow. The network brings together some 50 technical universities from 26 countries to discuss how our part of society can best contribute. It was clear from these discussions that the picture painted by Draghi and others is shared by many countries and universities. It is crucial that European programmes are based on this kind of analysis and are able to prioritise research and innovation.
But how can KTH contribute specifically and how can Sweden’s space and contribution to a strong Europe be formulated?
First and foremost, some muscle is needed at the national level to be able to coordinate coordinated investments in cutting-edge research and innovation in selected critical technology areas. Hopefully, future legislation and government initiatives will learn from the many recent policy reports.
Larger, coherent and long-term initiatives would be preferable to many small and scattered ones. A concerted use of different instruments is needed, from graduate schools and research infrastructure to venture capital and scale-up opportunities for new technologies.
As one of Europe’s leading higher education institutions, we are not only important for Sweden and Europe to make a change, we are also a necessary part of the conversation about how best to do it.