“Check against delivery”

Honourable Members,

Dear STOA Chair, dear Christian Ehler,

Dear Vice-Chairs,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I want to thank STOA for hosting this important summit. For nearly four decades, your panel has played a crucial role in bridging the gap between science and politics. It has brought the best scientific minds into the heart of European policymaking. We want to hear from you about the incredible innovations happening across Europe. For instance, researchers developing new carbon capture techniques or companies advancing fusion technology for clean, reliable energy. Europe is buzzing with innovation.

These breakthroughs are grounded in fundamental research and scientific freedom. Science needs the freedom to doubt and discover new things. Without scientific freedom, humanity stands still. Freedom of science is essential to address challenges like climate change and pandemic prevention. Europe will always be the home of scientific freedom.

This is not only a moral imperative but also the smartest choice because scientific discovery drives prosperity. We must make Europe the best place for science, from university research to world-leading companies. We must ensure that both scientists and entrepreneurs choose Europe. Thus, we focus on funding, talent, and bridging the gap between research and commercial success.

Funding: Groundbreaking science requires stable and sustained investment. Europe is already a global leader with Horizon Europe, the worlds largest international research programme. We are also launching a new Competitiveness Fund to support the entire innovation lifecycle.

Talent: We want Europe to be the best place for researchers. We offer an attractive package, including a new 500 million euro package for 2025-2027, and we are pooling resources with member states and regions.

Finally, we are working to bridge the gap from research to commercial success. We want more of your breakthroughs to benefit society. Hence, we have launched our start-up and scale-up strategy to accelerate the journey from lab to market.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We all have a role to play. For the Commission, it means creating a simpler and faster environment for science to flourish. This will help scientists and innovators to continue delivering groundbreaking research and innovation. For STOA and the Parliament, it means advocating for European science and innovation. We want the brightest minds and boldest entrepreneurs to choose Europe. This is our mission.

Thank you. And long live Europe.