Informal ministerial meeting on competitiveness (Research), 27 – 28 July 2023

The informal ministerial meeting on the competitiveness (research) of the EU will take place in Santander on 27-28 July.

The working sessions of the informal ministerial meeting on research will focus on fostering innovation in the countries on the shores of the Mediterranean and will underline the importance of Europe’s science and technology diplomacy. It will also seek to reinforce the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan and present the IFMIF-DONES project.

Boosting innovation in the Mediterranean

With the aim of strengthening relations with third countries, EU member states will be inspired by the Valletta Declaration, a resolution adopted in 2017 that allowed collaboration in research and innovation to be promoted through the development of projects such as the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA).

The Spanish presidency aims to ensure the continuity of PRIMA, whose statutory seat is in Spain until 2027, with the aim of improving an initiative in which the interests of the EU converge with those of its southern European neighbours.

It will continue to contribute to the generation of knowledge and technological developments in highly significant areas for the region, such as agri-food and water management. In this context, and through the strengthening of research and innovation links, PRIMA helps to generate new opportunities for sectoral collaboration, consolidating this region as a key strategic partner of the EU on its southern border.

Valuing the role of science diplomacy

The Spanish presidency understands that science and innovation play a key role in tackling the major socio-economic challenges the EU will face in the coming decades. In this context of enormous risks and challenges, it is essential to highlight the role of research and innovation in the process of creating public policies and, in particular, in the external action of states.

In recent years, the Council of the EU has reiterated its interest in enhancing science diplomacy. In 2021, it called on the European Commission and the European External Action Service to develop a European science diplomacy agenda for 2023, and in 2022 it called for multilateral talks on the principles and values of R&D cooperation with its international partners.

In this context, the informal ministerial meeting on research in Santander will discuss how to increase collaboration between member states, pursuing three main objectives:

Encouraging greater engagement of policy makers and diplomacy to achieve a greater impact of science in external action.

Favouring collaboration in research and innovation and the promotion of European values in the EU’s external action cooperation agreements.

Guiding a roadmap to improve research and innovation training and the capacities of the institutions responsible for external action.

Strengthening the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan

The European Commission recently published the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2025–2027, which underlines the role of R&D investments in addressing today’s challenges and translating scientific excellence into key policy, socio-economic and environmental issues for Europe and its member states.

One of the most important features of the European Research Area (ERA) is the promotion of synergies between research and innovation policies and programmes within the EU. In addition, the Council Recommendation on a Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe calls for policy coordination at European country level, right from the strategic planning and design phases, to ensure that ERA priorities are met.

The successive EU Research and Innovation (R&I) Framework Programmes (FPs) are the main instruments for achieving these objectives. The ninth European research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe, and its Specific Programme therefore provide for multi-annual strategic planning of R&D activities to ensure alignment between general objectives and their implementation, and to contribute to the development and implementation of EU and national policies.

The informal ministerial meeting in Santander will seek to reinforce this strategic plan, ensuring that these objectives are further aligned with European and national public policies and priorities.

To this end, European research ministers will exchange lessons learned by member states and consult on suggestions for improvement, as well as discuss proposals to improve knowledge transfer.

Presentation of the IFMIF-DONES project

During the course of the informal ministerial meeting, the IFMIF-DONES project, located in Escúzar (Granada) and one of the main pillars of the European roadmap for obtaining electricity from nuclear fusion energy, will also be presented. This is a safe, sustainable energy source with the capacity to produce sufficient quantities of energy to supply the needs of large population centres.

The project, which is part of Spain’s commitment to renewable energies, is based on the construction of a neutron source that will enable the development and validation of materials to be used in future fusion reactors. On 16 March, the first Steering Committee, the highest governing body of IFMIF-DONES, was held with 14 EU countries plus Japan. This meeting marked the formal start of the construction phase of the project.

With the presentation of this initiative to the research ministers, the aim is to increase the participation and input of European partners and potential institutions interested in this programme.

Informal ministerial meeting on competitiveness (research)

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Source – EU Council Presidency