The future of Europe's research and innovation policy
Research, innovation and advanced technology should be at the core of Europe's economic model. Ursula von der Leyen made this clear when she was re-elected as President of the European Commission in 2024. Europe's future path in research and innovation was also the theme of the Science Business Annual Network Conference conference, which was held on 5 February in Brussels.
The Commission is pushing to strengthen Europe's technological sovereignty through massive investments in AI, digital technology and climate change, while also proposing greater freedom for knowledge and innovation to make it easier to collaborate across borders.
The conference in Brussels brought together 350 leading actors from innovation, research, and industry to discuss the upcoming framework program and other European initiatives.
Vinnova's director general Darja Isaksson was one of the speakers. Before the conference, she said:
– The global race is no longer about individual technologies or individual breakthroughs. It is about the ability to mobilize entire technologies, for AI, for electrification, for large-scale energy systems and through resilient ecosystems.
For Europe, it is not only a question of competitiveness, but also of strategic capability: our capacity to build and govern systems in a world where sustainability and security increasingly rest on the same technological foundation.
The session that Darja Isaksson participated in also included Christian Ehler, Member of the European Parliament, and Marc Lemaître, Director of research and Innovation at the European Commission. Summary of part of the session on Science Business's website
Questions for the next framework programme
During the conference, issues such as:
- How is Europas FoI-landskap changing as geopolitics hardens and competition from the US and China increases?
- Kan EU take the next step towards a true internal market for knowledge – and what would that mean for mobility, data sharing and common infrastructure?
- How should the link between industrial policy and R&I be strengthened in the next multiannual financial framework – in particular between the Competitiveness Fund and the next Framework Programme for research and Innovation, FP10?
- What role will international collaborations play in the future, not least with the major R&D nations associated with Horisont Europa?
Europe is at a crossroads
The discussions are important for Sweden. The upcoming FP10 framework program formulates the framework for European research cooperation 2028-2035 and governs the conditions for everything from climate innovations and digital initiatives to startup ecosystems and future industrial partnerships.
For Sweden's innovation system, results of the negotiations will primarily affect:
- What European collaborations will be possible?
- How Swedish companies and researchers can participate in new partnerships
- What role will Sweden have in future strategic technology areas?
- How much funding is available for Swedish research and innovation.
Last updated 10 February 2026