About
Expert Perspectives on Capacity, Talent, and Innovation

  • How does the EU 27 compare to the rest of the world in research and innovation? This webinar draws on the report EU as a Science Innovator – Powered by the European Research Area, a data-driven benchmark by Elsevier of the EU27’s performance benchmarked against other leading global research powers – to explore Europe’s standing across three core ERA pillars: research capacity and excellence, people and talent, and innovation and knowledge transfer.
  • Published at the end of 2025, the report was designed to inform policy discussions on European competitiveness and the deepening of the single market for knowledge. It highlights the strengths, gaps and strategic opportunities that will shape the future of European research and innovation.
  • Since then, the policy agenda has continued to move quickly. New and forthcoming EU initiatives – the Commission’s Tech Sovereignty Package, the expected EU Innovation Act, and preparations for the next EU Framework Programme – add urgency to questions of research capacity, talent, innovation and knowledge valorization in Europe. With the ERA Act expected around the time of the webinar, this is a timely moment to reflect on these challenges and the policy mechanisms designed to strengthen Europe’s research and innovation ecosystem.
  • Given this momentum of the next few months, it’s crucial to understand how these dynamics play out in practice – for those who lead research institutions, shape research careers, and build the partnerships that turn scientific excellence into societal and economic value. This webinar brings together expert voices from university leadership, research policy, and innovation practice to reflect on what the evidence shows and what it means for the road ahead.

Join to:
  1. Gain insights into the key findings of the EU as a Science Innovator report. What the data reveals, what it leaves open, and how R&I leaders can complement, challenge or deepen the picture.
  2. Hear expert discuss the three strategic themes: research capacity, talent and careers, and university–industry knowledge transfer; at a moment when European research policy is being actively shaped.
  3. Be part of the dialogue on how institutional and policy actors can navigate and shape the evolving ERA landscape.
When
Monday, 16/11/2026 · 11:00 Amsterdam (GMT +1:00)
Agenda
  • 11:00 – 11:02 Welcome and framing
  • 11:02 – 11:10 Setting the scene — Europe’s competitiveness and the evolving ERA policy landscape
  • 11:10 – 11:20 Report presentation: Insights from EU as a Science Innovator
  • 11:20 – 11:35 Research capacity and excellence – European universities in a global context
  • 11:35 – 11:50 People, talent and mobility – Researcher careers and mobility in the ERA
  • 11:50 – 12:05 Innovation and knowledge transfer — Universities as innovation anchors
  • 12:05 – 12:25 Panel discussion and audience Q&A
  • 12:25 – 12:30 Closing remarks
Presenters
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Prof. Annelien Bredenoord
President of the Executive Board, Erasmus University Rotterdam
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Prof. Paweł Rowiński
President, ALLEA (European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities); Director, Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences
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Michiel Scheffer, PhD
President of the Board, European Innovation Council (EIC)
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Federica Rosetta
VP Academic Relations and Public Affairs EMEA, Elsevier
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Max Vögler
VP Academic and Government Relations DACH, Elsevier
Dr. Max Vögler has been Vice President for Global Strategic Networks – DACH at Elsevier since 2017. In his role there, he works together with universities, scientific institutions and research funding organizations and operates as a liaison between the scientific community and Elsevier. Before joining Elsevier Dr. Vögler worked for twelve years at the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, most recently as the Director of the DFG’s North America Office in Washington, DC. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in New York in the subject of European History.
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Elizabeth Crossick
Head of Government Affairs EU, RELX
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