Why should interdisciplinary high-risk research on disruptive technologies be supported?

Five FET experts from academia, research companies and politics explain why public funds should be allocated to research on high-risk science and technology

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Nowadays science and technology permeate our society. Just think of your use of the internet, mobile phones and cars, but also the most recent advancements in vital fields such as medicine or energy. All these developments have been made possible by the curiosity and imagination of visionary scientists.

 

But scientists can pursue their researches only if adequately funded. This is why public investments on high-risk, innovative research lines are fundamental. One example is the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) programme, which supports scientists in carrying out their innovative ideas and finding applications to everybody’s life. The importance of ensuring adequate funding to the FET programme has been the main topic of the policy workshop held on the 7th of March at the European Parliament in Brussels (read the press release here).

 

The workshop was organised by the EFFECT project, in cooperation with the European Parliament’s ITRE Committee and European Commission’s DG CONNECT. It brought together representatives from European institutions, the FET Advisory Group, the H2020 FET Flagship Interim Evaluation Committee and the academic and industrial ecosystem.

 

One of the main outcomes of the events is a number of recommendations highlighting the benefits of investments on FET high-risk research. These benefits range from the development and application of new solutions to some of the major challenges faced by our society to maintenance of Europe’s technological leadership and the creation of innovative start-ups and high-tech SMEs. Find a detailed report on the event’s outcomes here.

 

Want to know more on the benefits to society coming from investments on new scientific frontiers? Watch the above video, where five FET experts who participated in the workshop share their thoughts on the vital role of public science funding.

 

You can find the complete interviews here:

 

  • Q&A with Paul Lukowicz, Full Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern (Germany) and head of the Embedded Intelligence group at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI GmbH)
  • Q&A with Olivier Frey, head of Technologies & Platforms and Project Manager of Microphysiological Systems at InSphero AG
  • Q&A with Daniela Corda, Director of the Institute of Protein Biochemistry of the CNR in Naples (Italy)
  • Q&A with Khalil Rouhana, Deputy Director-General in DG Communications Networks, Content and Technology (CNECT) of the European Commission
  • Q&A with Maria Chiara Carrozza, Professor of Industrial Bioengineering at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa (Italy)

 

Want to have your say “Why should interdisciplinary high-risk research on disruptive technologies be supported?” like the speakers above did? Join this open consultation!

 

Keen to meet more FET People? Find other videos here.

 

Music credits: Fabian Measures via freemusicarchive.org