On 21 November 2024, the European University Association’s (EUA) first Research & Innovation Forum took place in Brussels. The Forum was set up following the launch of the EUA Research & Innovation Agenda 2027, almost a year ago.
As such, the Forum brought together university leaders and experts closely involved in EUA’s work on R&I topics for discussions on innovation, Open Science and the reform of academic career assessment. This was followed by a session on the current landscape, challenges and opportunities in European R&I with Marc Lemaître, the European Commission’s Director-General for Research and Innovation.
Secondly, the R&I Forum set about reflecting on future developments and trends at EU level that could shape R&I activities at universities. Through future thinking exercises, participants explored the role of university R&I in strengthening European competitiveness and prosperity with a view to being both responsive and proactive as a sector. The outcomes of this session will further enable the implementation of the EUA R&I Agenda and the Association’s various other workstreams.