Manuel Heitor "disappointed" by the leaked document on EC plans for R&I

"I'm clearly disappointed with the small steps being taken in the Competitiveness Compass. The hope is that the next steps will be sharper to really align act and accelerate Europe towards a more innovative context. My understanding is that the Compass is just a very initial step and we look forward for next steps in the coming months", says Manuel Heitor, chair of the High-Level Group in charge of the mid-term evaluation of Horizon Europe and former Portuguese minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, to News Tank on 28/01/2025.

He reacts to the leaked Commission document on the Competitiveness Compass, which is due to be presented publicly on 29/01, as announced by Ursula von der Leyen on 22/01. According to her, this document "turns the Draghi report into actions".

"Based on the Draghi, Letta and on our own reports, I would have expected a demonstration of the need to align economic, financial and defense policies towards the better centrality of research and innovation, and we don't see that", declares Manuel Heitor, who is also Cesaer association envoy for careers…