Romania and the technological future of Europe. What did Nicușor Dan and the head of the European Research Council discuss
President Nicușor Dan met on Saturday, June 13, with Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council (ERC). The two discussed, among other things, the development in Romania of fields such as artificial intelligence, biotechnologies, energy, cyber security and defense.
Nicușor Dan and Prof. Maria Leptin/PHOTO: Facebook
“I had a productive meeting with Prof. Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council, one of the most important European institutions dedicated to supporting frontier research and scientific excellence.
We discussed the future of European funding for research and innovation, in the context of the preparation of the next Multiannual Financial Framework of the European Union and the program that will succeed Horizon Europe”, transmitted Nicușor Dan.
The head of state claims that, for our country, “it is essential that research and innovation are treated as strategic investments in Europe's economic competitiveness, security and strategic autonomy.”
“The European Research Council finances fundamental research projects in all scientific fields, with scientific excellence as the only criterion. This principle must be maintained and strengthened, in order to maximize the potential of research and valuable human resources in Romania.
We must also build institutions in Romania capable of attracting, retaining and supporting scientific talent of the highest level.”
Last but not least, Nicușor Dan says that Romania must invest in research and innovation to become a state that produces technological progress, not just one that benefits from technologies developed by others, in fields such as artificial intelligence, biotechnologies, energy, cyber security, defense or social sciences.
The President of the ERC also participated in a meeting with the representatives of the Romanian Academy, on Friday, June 12, during which ways were discussed by which research institutions in Romania could attract more European funds.
“The discussions, moderated by Academician Nicolae Zamfir, aimed to intensify the contributions of the Academy's research institutes to the programs of the European Research Council.
Prof. Maria Leptin, ERC president, appreciated as positive the desire of the organizers of this meeting to intensify and make Romanian research more visible. In this sense, he specified that the ERC is open to any quality request, and the success of a project depends on the involvement of the entire scientific community in Romania. Prof. Leptin emphasized the idea of selection based on quality: «The best performing applicants should be encouraged, the rest should be discouraged», transmits the Romanian Academy in a press release.
The Romanian Academy claims that research in Romania is affected by insufficient funding and intends to create a working group to strengthen the cooperation of the scientific community and to increase the participation of Romanian institutions in European research programs.
The representatives of the institution believe that the funds offered by the European Research Council can represent an important source of funding for institutes and research centers in the country.
