Mario Draghi's new report, The Future of European Competitiveness, highlights the need for a change in the course of European research policy to strengthen the continent's global position. In the report, Mario Draghi recommends, among other things, a doubling of the budget for the European Research Council (ERC) with a focus on fundamental research based on the principle of excellence. Furthermore, he emphasizes the importance of attracting more international talent and strengthening capacity in EU countries where research and innovation environments are not as strong.
Europe's current investments in research and development do not amount to 3 pct. of GDP, which is the shared target. It would be in Denmark's interest to raise both national and European ambitions.
At the same time, Denmark can strengthen its institutions and businesses' positions in European collaboration. The EU’s overhead is not competitive, making it difficult for Danish research environments to co-finance EU grants. Danish businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, participate too little in EU programs. Additionally, Denmark's return from the EU exceeds its contributions. If this compensation stops, the national research budget could increase by up to DKK 400 million annually.