Research & Innovation Days in Brussels: A Platform for Europe’s Scientific Future
22/09/2025
Between 16 and 17 September in Brussels, Research & Innovation Days brought together speakers and scientists from all over Europe to create this cumulative platform for science and tech. No stone was left unturned by the many exhibitions and panels discussing the future of European research and innovation in the turbulent environment of today’s world politics.
The opening statement was from President Ursula von der Leyen, encouraging stakeholders and policymakers to choose Europe for research and innovation, once again highlighting the need for cutting-edge research. Madame President sought to “make funding run by scientists for scientists,” and referring to Horizon Europe. The President’s speech set the tone for European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, who poke about the future of science in relation to startups and how these can scale up.
Scale-up Start-ups
Many startups drive the innovation process forward, according to Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva, the only chance to create a competitive Europe is to have a close collaboration with the market. This entails that the right legislation is needed in order to accumulate knowledge and expertise from start ups. “They need to have a dialogue and know who to talk to,” stated Hajdi Cenan, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Airt. That stressed the point about building startups must be easy, and Europe’s strategy is to eliminate friction points so that startups can grow quickly.
Clark Parsons, Chief Executive Officer of the European Startup Network, continued on Cenan’s statement, saying that “we cannot bring tech to a financial battleground,” once again highlighting the role of capital as the strategy for EU to become forefront in tech. Both Cenan and Parsons agreed that funding is the cornerstone of maintaining innovation in Europe, and that strong support from academia can help advanced businesses and foster collaboration between local authorities. Parsons ended the panel with the wise words “The future of science is the future of hope and now is the time to invest in startups to drive the research for innovation forward”.
Women in STEM
Not only was the importance of funding presented as the catalyst to make innovation possible in Europe, panels also addressed the gender gap in science and tech. They spoke about how cuts to research projects and DEI programs hinder scientific progress. One of those speakers were Vera Jourova, Vice Rector for Human Resources Development and New Technologies from Charles University. Jourova continued the panel discussion describing difficulties to fit into a field made by men, for men. The importance of role models was highlighted by initiatives like BeWise, which seek out to inspire and empower women in STEM. The panel also pointed out that Europe welcomes both minorities and women with open arms to involve all citizens. And the upskilling of innovation and science is based on an open and inclusive community, sharing best practices and information.
Ending note
The event’s ending statement rang clear from Markku Markkula, Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions. Europe must invest in human capital, stronger synergies, and bottom-up activity in order to keep the ambition level high. For this to become reality, he emphasized the need to make investments in local municipalities and authorities, encouraging leadership at a local level to make a good example out of Europe.
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