Research and Innovation Week

Progress through collaboration: the European Commission's Research and Innovation Week 2024

Unleashing the future through the Junior Enterprises concept across all Europe.

One of the main yearly European Commission's events, the Research & Innovation (R&I) Week 2024, is already here! This edition of the R&I week is organised in cooperation with the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Scheduled to take place from the 18th to the 21st of March 2024 in the heart of Europe, Brussels, at the historic venue of Tour & Taxis, this event showed itself to be a melting pot of ideas, innovations, and groundbreaking research.

The R&I Week 2024 is a celebration of the 40-year journey through the Research and Innovation Framework Programmes. This milestone is a testament to the continuous journey of discovery, growth, and transformation that has propelled Europe's research and innovation landscape forward.

It's an opportunity to reflect on past achievements, debate the future of R&I, and shape its contribution to EU political priorities: the core of this week lies in defining the future trajectory of research and innovation in Europe. This year, the focus will be on EU tech sovereignty and competitiveness, topics of utmost importance for the future of our continent.

The event kicked off on the 18th of March with the opening of the R&I Week, a ceremony live streamed to be followed from anywhere in the world. The following days were packed with high-level events, including the EIC Summit 2024 on the 19th, the Belgian Presidency Conference on Innovation Procurement from the 19th to the 20th, and the European R&I Days 2024 from the 20th to the 21st.

The EIC Summit 2024 provided a platform for policymakers, researchers, and innovators to chart the course ahead, envisioning a future where innovation serves as a driving force for societal progress and economic prosperity. At its core, R&I Week embodies the power of collaboration — a coming together of diverse perspectives, talents, and experiences in pursuit of common goals. In her opening speech, Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, emphasised the effectiveness of pooling resources and fostering collaboration in order to avoid the duplication of efforts: echoing Junior Enterprises Europe commitment to fostering a sense of unity and more specifically the 2024 edition of the JEE Winter Conference earlier this month, "Shaping the Future: Growing a EUnique Network”.

The Innovation Procurement Conference theme this year was “Bridging theory and practice”, which echoes Junior Enterprise efforts in bridging the gap between academia and the professional world and bringing closer collaboration between all actors in these fields. On Tuesday, the first day of the conference, a panel on the efforts towards a green transition, moderated by Rosalinde Van der Vlies with Dominique Sandy, Robert Miskuf, Valentina Schippers-Opejko and Teuta Cakolli, tackled the need for integrating innovation procurement in the fight against climate change, starting from cities up to larger institutions. One of the main outcomes of the JEEWC24 panel on the “2.0 Green Deal'' was the need for social and economic considerations to ensure a just transition through financial incentives and targeted support, such as public procurement. 

Finally, the European R&I Days 2024 were also focused on a greener Europe but more specifically they were the space to spark debate about how to do it in a fairer and more competitive way, all under a common narrative. This narrative is that of a 40-year journey through the Research and Innovation Framework Programmes. By setting common long term goals, a global vision gets created and it allows a more conscious management of all projects. That is why at Junior Enterprises Europe we take the time to consult our members, exchange and debate to elaborate the Network Strategy more fit to conjointly reach our goals as a cooperative Network. 

For Junior Enterprises Europe, this kind of event presents a unique opportunity to connect with thousands of policymakers, researchers, innovators, and other stakeholders. It's a chance to engage in policy debates and make the voices and ideas of Junior Entrepreneurs heard at an institutional level. Moreover, the exhibitions showcasing EU-funded projects offer a wealth of knowledge and inspiration for our own projects and initiatives.

The R&I Week is not just an event; it's a platform for collaboration, learning, and growth. It's a place where ideas become actions, and actions become innovations that shape the future of Europe.

Junior Entrepreneurs from all over Europe, let's seize this opportunity to make our mark on the European R&I panorama: let's unleash the future together!