G6-presidents meet Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels
Pictured (L-R): Lina Gálvez Muñoz (MEP & STOA Vice-Chair), Ivars Ijabs (MEP & STOA Vice-Chair), Otmar D. Wiestler (Helmholtz), Eloísa del Pino Matute (CSIC), Ursula von der Leyen (European Commission), Antoine Petit (CNRS), Patrick Cramer (Max Planck Society), Christian Ehler (MEP & STOA Chair). Picture: European Research Council.
Helmholtz President Otmar D. Wiestler and the presidents of the other G6 organizations met in Brussels with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss the importance of research and innovation for Europe’s future.
The timing of the meeting is particularly fitting: since the beginning of her second term, Ursula von der Leyen has repeatedly placed research and innovation at the center of her agenda and emphasized their role as a driving force for the European economy. Her remarks at the annual budget conference received considerable attention, especially her differentiation of the current “Horizon Europe” program as a standalone brand—something that was very positively received. How this will be implemented politically is expected to become clear in the summer, when the EU Commission is set to propose the next so-called “Multiannual Financial Framework.” This framework will also define how research is weighted within the EU budget and the European Competitiveness Fund.
Helmholtz and its partner organizations from the G6 network are co-organizing this high-level summit together with the European Parliament’s think tank STOA and Member of Parliament Christian Ehler. The G6 network brings together six major European research organizations: the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Italy), the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France), the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spain), the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, the Leibniz Association, and the Max Planck Society.
During the meeting, priorities for a new research program were discussed, including the role of interdisciplinary research in the European Research Area, the importance of new AI-based approaches, the vital function of the European Research Council (ERC), the recruitment of international talent, and Europe’s role in a changing world.
