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Dear guests
It is a real pleasure to be here with you today. To speak about a topic that is definitely very complex and very important.
RTI’s are a crucial part of Europe’s future. Because without solid infrastructures, even the brightest ideas can stay stuck on paper.
We live in a time when Europe simply cannot assume that someone else will save us when things get tough. We have learned this the hard way over the last few years.
Things we have taken for granted like gas for the radiators and microchips for the factories. These things have got a lot more complicated.
And when it comes to dealing with authoritarian regimes, we can no longer count on others to fight our battles for us.
That is why our strategic autonomy is so important.
It is not about building a wall around Europe.
Shutting our doors to the world around us.
It is about standing firmly on our own two feet, so we can choose freely when to cooperate and when to act independently.
It is about resilience. It is about freedom. And frankly, it is about responsibility to our citizens, our industries and our future.
The good news is Europe has plenty to build on – and we are working hard.
Strategy
Europe is blessed with some of the most talented researchers and innovators anywhere in the world.
But ideas do not organise themselves. To make Europe more competitive, we need to get better at setting a direction. Too often, we have had brilliant breakthroughs, only to watch them sail across the Atlantic or to Asia and turn into businesses and products far away from Europe.
That has got to change. More of our ideas must grow into companies, into products, into solutions that make a real difference. Not just for markets, but for people.
And that requires us to be a bit more strategic, a bit more long-term in our thinking.
Not every idea can be funded. Not every lab can be built. But we can decide where we want to go as a continent. And we can align our strengths to get there.
And one of our strengths is our industries and especially our SME’s.
SME’s and the industry are where Europe’s ideas take shape and our strategic autonomy becomes real. Often based on science.
Our businesses – and especially our Research and Technology Organisations – are the vital bridge between science and the market.
Every test facility, every lab, every idea, every start-up and scale-up and spin-out is an important step on the way.
Because every time a European company develops something new here at home, we reduce our dependence on others. We strengthen our ability to act according to our own values and interests.
Europe’s technological independence cannot be built in isolation. It is built through strong partnerships between science and businesses, supported by infrastructures that are shared, trusted and world-class.
Basic research and RTIs
And at the foundation of all of this lies basic research. Curiosity-driven science is the foundation on which all future breakthroughs are built.
We cannot predict where the next transformative discovery will come from. But we know, with certainty, that without a strong commitment to basic research, it will not come at all.
Universities play a central role in the equation. They are the homes of knowledge and education.
But they are also vital parts of the value chain that stretches from the most fundamental research to the creation of new businesses.
They provide the talent, the partnerships and the critical thinking that Europe needs if we are to succeed in shaping our strategic direction.
We are here today to talk about a part of the story that sometimes gets overlooked.
Ideas are brilliant, but they need a home. They need tools. They need infrastructures.
Critical technologies depend on infrastructures. And Europe depends on critical technologies. It really is that simple.
Think of supercomputers modelling climate change. Test facilities for new energy systems and bio-solutions. Advanced labs for medical research. All the test facilities and laboratories that are all around us in Denmark and all over Europe.
Think of CERN and the ground-breaking research that is happening there. The ESS, the ESO, the ILL.
Behind these acronyms hides incredible European infrastructures.
And bottom line is that without RTIs, we cannot compete. Period.
The United States and China are pouring enormous resources into this. They treat infrastructures as strategic assets. And they are right.
In Europe, we have been slower. More fragmented. Sometimes a little bit too caught up in exactly which country the infrastructure should be in.
Meanwhile, others are racing ahead. If we want Europe to remain a leader, this has to change.
We need to invest – boldly, decisively – in research and technology infrastructures. Not just nationally, but together. Because no single country can do it all. But together we can.
And I get it.
If it were up to me, CERN would be based just outside Copenhagen. And I certainly would not have let Sweden have the ESS. We all want these important assets placed within our borders.
But in the spirit of collaboration and progress we need to be better at sharing and not let our national interests slow down these processes.
We need to be and stay committed to expanding Europe’s infrastructures.
Building Europe’s capacity
And what does that mean in practice?
First: Collaboration. We need to connect our existing infrastructures and make sure they serve the whole of Europe. The challenges we face — climate, health, energy, digital security — do not respect national borders. Our solutions shouldn’t either.
Second: Funding. Real, long-term investment. It is an investment in Europe’s competitiveness, resilience and sovereignty.
Third: Talent. Infrastructures are only as valuable as the people who use them. We need to attract, train and keep the brightest minds here in Europe. That means giving them the best possible conditions to do world-class research.
And finally: Translation. Translating discoveries into innovation. We need stronger pathways from research to business, from laboratories to markets. Otherwise, we risk building beautiful infrastructures that never deliver real impact.
Europe’s ability to stand strong and independent depends on research. It depends on innovation.
And it depends, above all, on infrastructures that allow both research and innovation to thrive.
We cannot expect others to provide the technologies that secure our future. We cannot outsource our prosperity or our security.
That responsibility is ours.
The challenge is big. But so is the opportunity. If we continue on the path we are on right now where we invest, we cooperate, we set a clear direction, then Europe can lead. By building on our own strengths: Our diversity, our creativity, our democratic values.
Because this is about more than competitive power. It is about our values. Who we are and who we want to be?
At the heart of every discussion of strategic autonomy is our commitment to be a continent founded on democracy, freedom and building great societies for people to live in.
I believe we have the talent, the institutions and the determination to succeed and protect everything we stand for.
What we need now is to keep moving forward with determination, vision and solid infrastructure.
Thank you.