Climate, Energy and Mobility European - Research and Innovation for a Clean and Healthy Planet

Foreword

The European Research and Innovation Days attracted around 4000 stakeholders to Brussels from 24 to 26 September 2019, and was hosted in an original and flexible venue, which allowed co-creation and co-design of future EU R&I priorities to take place.

Some 23 sessions featuring over 100 speakers were held on topics of key importance for the ‘Climate, Energy and Mobility’ Cluster under the forthcoming Horizon Europe programme (2020-2027). The presentations and discussions enabled constructive interactions with almost 2000 stakeholders from Member States, the business community, research organisations and NGOs, amongst others.

This publication highlights the key messages from these sessions, including descriptions of the people involved and the policy framework governing each session. These key messages will help inspire the orientations for the first Horizon Europe Strategic Plan, which will guide the implementation of the programme first’s four years.

The sessions tackled key questions including the nature of scientific evidence, how to engage and communicate with citizens on science and research, and effective collaboration across disciplinary silos. Spanning climate science to the aviation of the future, from batteries to energy efficiency. The sessions aimed to connect the threads that should lead Europe to a carbon-neutral economy by 2050 in line with the major priority of the incoming European Commission: A European Green Deal.

The ‘Science is Wonderful’ exhibition at the R&I Days put the spotlight on real stories that result from EU-funded research and innovation projects. Hydrogen-powered cars, electric boats and automated vehicles were in operation and experienced by hundreds of participants. The ‘Climate, Energy and Mobility’ hut at the R&I Village was visited by more than 100 stakeholders and hosted 50 lively face-to-face meetings.

Overall, the R&I Days was a great success. The event demonstrated that R&I priorities can be designed and co-shaped by public and private actors, by academics and entrepreneurs, by governmental and non-governmental organisations.

The R&I Days showed that science, research and innovation do have tangible results for citizens. Sustainability is not a theoretical word. Climate, Energy and Mobility are working for a better world. A clean and healthy planet needs, first of all, strong roots in R&I.

John Bell

Director, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission