Views

As disaster readiness climbs up the EU agenda, a chief scientific advisor offers views on how Europe can harness its strengths.

As it confronts environmental, geopolitical and economic shocks, Europe is in a position to show the way to climate neutrality and social equality, top advisor says.

Jean-Eric Paquet has been at the helm of the Horizon programme and DG Research and Innovation for the past four years. He will shortly leave to take up the role of the EU’s ambassador to Japan in September 2022. In his final interview with Horizon Magazine as Director General, Paquet reflects on European research and innovation globally and considers the future of collaboration in science research with Japan.

In June 2021, the EU's Group of Chief Scientific Advisors (GCSA) published the Scientific Opinion entitled "A systemic approach to the energy transition in Europe", arguing that the clean energy transition in the European Green Deal must keep people at its centre. In light of tomorrow's RePowerEU announcement that is critical to the future of energy supply in Europe, we invite GCSA Vice-Chair Nebojsa Nakicenovic to comment on the centrality of a just transition and the importance on staying focused on a clean energy future even at times of intensifying pressure.

The implementation of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the EU Mission on Cancer will go far beyond research and innovation to develop new solutions and improve the lives of Europeans, says Joanna Drake, Deputy Director-General, DG Research and Innovation.

As the world's newest Nobel Prize laureates gather for Nobel Week, EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel speaks about the incredible advancements made by scientists and the EU's commitment to creating more tech unicorns.

A rising number of businesses is making the case for nature-based solutions already, but it is time to progress from early movers to a broad movement, says Jean-Eric Paquet, the European Commission's Director General for Research and Innovation.

The ability to keep food, medicines, vaccines and our buildings cool underpins much of our modern way of life, but it is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. If the world is to meet its development goals and climate change targets over the coming decades, we need to rethink how we keep things cold, says Professor Toby Peters, an expert in the cold economy at the University of Birmingham in the UK.

Basic, or ‘frontier’, research that expands the boundaries of our knowledge can help address some of the most important challenges of our time – and it’s important that more people become aware of this, according to Prof. Maria Leptin who has today been appointed president of the EU’s frontier research funding body, the European Research Council (ERC).

Young researchers are curious, energetic, imaginative and look at the world in new ways, but their lack of job security or clear career path is a ‘major, major problem’, says Jean-Eric Paquet, the EU’s director general for research and innovation, who experienced the issue first hand when one of his sons stopped working in science for lack of long-term prospects.