More EU innovation should lead to more EU business success

How to ensure that Europe as an inventor of ground-breaking new technologies will also commercially benefit from its own innovative technologies? How to adapt the EU’s research policy in this respect? To discuss these questions with BusinessEurope's Executive Committee, Director General Markus J. Beyrer welcomed Pascal Lamy, former Director General of the WTO, former EU Trade Commissioner and current chairman of the High-Level Group on maximising the impact of EU research and innovation programmes.

Discussing the key findings of the report “Investing in European future” recently presented by an expert group under Lamy’s guidance, Beyrer said: “We invent ground-breaking new technologies in Europe, but we should also commercially exploit them here, instead of waiting for the USA and China to do so. We should also be less risk-averse and make EU regulation innovation-proof”.

By the end of 2017 already, the European Commission will give its first ideas on the future of the EU’s flagship innovation programme, the FP9. Only a few months later, the Commission will publish its FP9 proposal, following budget plans for the next financing period.

Read our views on the report