Failing participation in EU programme for research and innovation

During the current EU Commission's term of office, 2019–2024, the EU has significantly raised the level of ambition in several policy fields, for example climate change and digitalisation.

The EU's portfolio of financing instruments is therefore becoming increasingly important, also for Sweden. These instruments are, for example, important for the Swedish research and innovation system's connection to other countries, not least when it comes to collaborations within the EU's framework program for research and innovation.

Another example is climate change: various EU efforts create significant opportunities for Swedish actors alongside efforts made nationally. A third example is the digital transformation, where Sweden's position in the world is largely shaped by our membership in the European Union.

Active Swedish participation is therefore important. The fact that Swedish actors participate in the EU's programme for research and innovation is relevant both for the results of the funded projects and for the competence development that is the consequence for the actors themselves. But it is also crucial for Sweden to be an integral part of the European social construction to which these policy initiatives and financing instruments contribute. It is therefore worrying that Sweden's participation in the EU's initiatives is often lower than what should reasonably be possible given Sweden's size and strength in the research and innovation systems. The report highlights this negative trend.