The global covid-19 pandemic and the efforts behind the production of the different kinds of vaccines to the malady have shown that science can indeed save the world.

The people who actually found the vaccine, whether in its traditional form or in its form of an mRNA vaccine, are truly our modern day heroes.  Through their work, huge masses of people could be vaccinated against the deadly covid-19 virus, thus saving thousands of lives all over the globe.

If I were a skilled enough wordsmith such as Winston Churchill I would have said that never in the history of human conflict have so many been indebted for so much to so few.  As the greatest vaccination campaign in the history of mankind is underway and 28.9 million doses are being given every single day (enough to fully vaccinate so far 11% of the global population), we have to be really thankful for science and what the remarkable talent of those researchers has achieved.

I believe that science is now standing taller than it has ever been in recent history.  So please, let us take science more seriously.

I am not talking about the threats of global warning and about how much we politicians around the globe have simply not done enough about it.  I am not talking only about increasing funding to help researchers find cures to maladies and create innovative solutions which foster new jobs and careers.  I am talking about showing respect to researchers and scientists by promoting their work, looking at them as professionals who have an important role to fulfil and realising that if it were not to brave people like them, life would have been very, very different.

In this context, the European Commission adopted and published, on the 18 May 2021, its new policy Communication on the new ‘Global Approach to Research and Innovation’.

The Communication establishes a new policy approach in the area of international R&I collaboration and is the first update of the EU’s international approach to R&I collaboration since 2014.

It conveys the EU's new global approach to research, innovation, education, and young people, taking into account the Commission’s strategic priorities for economic recovery and strengthening the EU’s role in the world.

The Communication seeks to build a research and innovation environment that is based on rules and values, but which is also open by default, to help researchers and innovators around the world work together in multilateral partnerships, whilst also ensuring reciprocity and a level-playing field in international cooperation in R&I.

Naturally, the Communication aims to build on the EU's contribution to the global response to the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic by expanding the geopolitical dimension and reach of European R&I activities.

The new strategy will guide the implementation of Horizon Europe, which will remain open to international cooperation, but will also defend European strategic interests where necessary. The Commission will seek to achieve this new strategy in close coordination with the Member States, and relevant EU financial institutions such as the European Investment Bank.

The Commission sets out a new Strategy which reaffirms the EU's commitment to promoting “openness” in international R&I cooperation while promoting a concept of reciprocity underpinned by the fundamental principles of cooperation.

The new Horizon Europe framework programme remains open to cooperation with third countries, now offering the opportunity to those non-European countries which share European values ​​and have a strong scientific profile. Moreover, the EU will also continue to fund the participation of entities established in low and middle-income countries in Horizon Europe actions, including through an ambitious ‘Africa initiative’ under Horizon Europe, to strengthen cooperation with African countries. Also, the Union will work with its international partners to jointly implement issues such as academic freedom, scientific ethics and integrity, gender and open science.

In addition to openness, it places a stronger emphasis on the notion of “balanced cooperation” in order to better protect the EU's interests, values ​​and expertise and strengthen its resilience.

The Commission is arguing that the EU should be more assertive in promoting a level playing field and reciprocity, better protecting the use of intellectual property rights and promoting forms of innovation that are not hampered by disproportionate rules or subsidies.

To this end, the Commission intends to develop guidelines for dealing with foreign interference in 2021, targeting EU research organisations and higher education institutions. These guidelines will support EU organisations in safeguarding academic freedom, integrity and institutional autonomy.

Furthermore, by the end of 2022, the Commission intends to present a code of practice for the "smart" use of intellectual property in an international context. In this context, the Communication also mentions Article 22 (5) of Horizon Europe, which makes it possible to limit the participation of third-country entities at the level of the Work Programmes of Horizon Europe, in order to protect the EU's strategic assets, interests, autonomy and security.

Lastly, the Communication deals with international cooperation from a thematic perspective touching upon the fields of climate and the environment, digital transition and global health. Furthermore, the Communication contains a list of third countries structured according to geographical areas, providing a detailed overview of the initiatives and topics on which R&I cooperation with these countries is envisaged.

The Commission will monitor the implementation of the actions set out in its Communication and assess their contribution to the objectives of the global approach, taking into account criteria such as the volume of international R&D investment in multilateral cooperation, the number of international scientific publications and progress in reciprocity in access to publicly funded research programs. The first review of progress will take place during a high-level Conference scheduled to take place in 2022.

The Communication will be presented at the forthcoming Competitiveness Council meeting of Research Ministers today. The incoming Slovene Presidency plans to negotiate and finalise Council conclusions in response to the Communication, in time for adoption during the Competitiveness Council of 26 November 2021. Moreover, the topic of international cooperation in R&I will also be one of the priorities of the French Presidency, which intends to hold a High-Level Ministerial Conference on the subject in the first quarter of 2022.

I completely welcome the proposed Commission Communication on the new ‘Global Approach to Research and Innovation’. The changing global R&I landscape, evolving Union geo-strategic priorities and attention given to science, brought out by the COVID-19 outbreak, makes this Communication timely.

This will definitely trigger a very important debate and will give us an opportunity to voice our views on matters which, in this context, are very close to our heart.