R&I Days 2025: Dual-use, Choose Europe, Horizon 2028-2034, ERA... A look back at the event's main topics

The R&I Days 2025 covered topics ranging from the financing of the next European R&I framework programme, Horizon Europe 2028-2034, to the need to include dual-use and defence topics, and discussion of Choose Europe and the future ERA Act. News Tank covered and attended this event organised by the European Commission in Brussels on 16 and 17/09/2025.

The European Commission marked the start of the R&I Days by launching its proposed strategy for research and technology infrastructure, which aims to keep Europe "a frontrunner in the global R&I race". This strategy aims to address challenges such as fragmented policies and funding across the EU, limited collaboration across infrastructures, insufficient access opportunities, skills gap, untapped potential of digitalisation and AI adoption and hampered reuse of data for research.

The opening panel, with Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Start-ups and R&I, Eva-Maria Holzleitner, Austrian Minister for Women, Science and Research, and Sylvia Schwaag Serger, President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, was an…