In September 2016, the European Commission (EC) created a group of high-level experts to advise and decide on future research priorities.
In the context of the interim evaluation of the Horizon 2020 Program, the Group's mandate is to provide specific advice on how to maximize the impact of European Union investment in Research and Innovation. The high-level expert group, chaired by Pascal Lamy, appointed president emeritus by the Jacques Delors Institute, began its work in December 2016 and during the first week of July it published the first report in Brussels: LAB-FAB-APP: Investing in the European Future We Want. The group is made up of 12 members such as Mark Ferguson, Director General of the Irish Science Foundation and Chief Scientific Advisor to the Government of Ireland, Cristina Garmendia, President of the Cotec Foundation, Maya Plenz, Managing Director of 50More Ventures and Martin Brudermüller, Vice President of the Board of Executive Directors and Chief Technology Officer of BASF SE. In this regard, the recommendations cited in the first report by the group of experts focused on:
- The prioritization of research based on the available budget.
- The construction of an innovation policy capable of creating new markets.
- More investment in innovation education and researchers.
- Redesign the R&D program for greater impact.
- Mobilize and involve citizens more in Research, Development and Innovation.
- Improve synergies between international and domestic funding.
- Communicate on a larger scale the results of research and progress achieved.
