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Conclusions of the Competitiveness Council of 10 June 2022

24. Jun 2022

On 10 June 2022, the ministers of EU member states responsible for research adopted conclusions on principles and values for international cooperation in research and innovation, on research assessment and implementation of open science, and on European Missions.
 
Regarding international cooperation in research and innovation the Council conclusions set out the guiding values and principles which include scientific freedom, gender equality, research excellence and protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. Ministers agreed to launch a multilateral dialogue with the EU’s main partners on the basis of those principles and values with a view to ensuring balanced and mutually beneficial international cooperation.
 
In the context of current Russian military aggression against Ukraine, the Council has added a statement to the conclusions deploring the Ukrainian crisis and its impact on research and innovation.
 
In its conclusion on Open Science, the Council proposes joint action throughout the European Research Area in three areas: the reform of research assessment systems, developing capacities for academic publishing and scientific communication and promoting multilingualism to raise the profile of EU research results. Improvements in these three areas are aimed to make research careers more attractive, facilitate scientific exchanges and bring science and society closer together.
 
The Council recalls that the development of research assessment systems in Europe should respect the autonomy of research institutions and the freedom of scientific research, as well as the diversity of national and disciplinary contexts. Furthermore, assessment should be guided by a number of principles. These included e.g. a balanced approach between quantitative and qualitative assessment of research; recognition of all forms of research and innovation outputs and processes (e.g. datasets, methodologies, protocols, patents) and not just publications; consideration of different career paths and all research and innovation activities, including e.g. leadership roles, entrepreneurship, data management, teaching; and consideration of the specifics of different resarch disciplines, the range from basic to applied research, and the stages of research careers.
 
In the conclusion on European Missions, the Council provides guidance for efficient steering mechanisms and for coherent management of projects and measures financed at European, national, regional and local level that contributes to the objective of the Missions (portfolio approach). The Council emphasizes the particular importance of citizens‘ participation in the Missions, as these ultimately aim at improving the quality of life of European societies.
 
In the context of monitoring, review and evaluation of missions, the Council recalls that the Commission shall carry out an evaluation of the European Missions no later than 31 December 2023 and in any case bevor deciding on new missions or the continuation, termination or adaptations of existing missions.