Deputy Minister of Development Zoi Rapti participated in the Informal Council of Ministers of Higher Education and Research, in Budapest, on September 17.

During the work of the Council, the Deputy Minister of Development was placed in the first section of the meeting regarding the strengthening of European competitiveness through research and innovation and the reduction of fragmentation in the European Research Area (ERA) and emphasized, among other things:
“We all agree on the critical role of investment in research and innovation to boost competitiveness, respecting our shared European priorities and values.
Greece remains committed to the goal of achieving higher research and innovation funding, according to Draghi’s recent report. We also support the strengthening of private investment
in research and innovation, as well as creating an attractive environment for innovative start-ups and deep tech spin offs. In recent years we have adopted a series of measures, which are to be further expanded, such as the provision of tax incentives, the reduction of bureaucratic obstacles and the encouraging the commercial exploitation of patents’.

The Deputy Minister of Development also pointed out the importance of bilateral cooperation as a means of strengthening competitiveness and expressed our country’s support for the continuation in the next Framework Program
of the widening measures, which is part of Horizon Europe and aims to strengthen, through cooperation, the performance of selected countries in research and innovation and to reduce the gap with Member States with high
performance.

Finally, referring to the Policy Agenda for the European Research Area 2025-2027, she emphasized:
“Discussions should focus on the implementation of a Policy Agenda for the European Research Area 2025-2027 with clearly defined objectives and related actions, which will contribute to Europe’s current political priorities, namely international competitiveness, security and sustainability. The new Policy Agenda for the European Research Area 2025 – 2027 must aim for inclusion among member states, without limiting scientific excellence and without adding bureaucratic obstacles.”

During her presentation in the second section of the meeting regarding the contribution of the freedom of scientific research to the competitiveness of the European Union, Deputy Minister of Development Zoe Rapti said, among other things:

“We believe that everyone’s open access to information, access to merit-based funding, legal and ethical protection of researchers, institutional autonomy, financial incentives, as well as international collaborations
are crucial factors in strengthening the freedom of scientific research”.

Furthermore, he underlined the importance of establishing a strong European framework for the monitoring system of scientific research with clear objectives and measurable indicators.

Concluding her presentation, Deputy Minister of Development Zoi Rapti emphasized:
“A great challenge lies before us: the need to protect the knowledge produced by our scientists, safeguarding their intellectual property and at the same time ensuring that scientific developments
will be used in the interest of Man”.