Minister Radovan Fuchs participated in the EU Competitiveness Council for Research held in Brussels on September 30th 2025

At the EU Competitiveness Council meeting for Research, a policy debate was held on the topic of dual use in the future Framework programme for Research and Innovation -  Horizon Europe. The discussion emphasised the importance of continuing a programme with a strong civil component while noting the opportunities that the policy windows of the European Competitivness Fund have for financing dual use projects. Financing dual use projects with provide an opportunity for a boost to startups developing defence related technologies. Additionally, necessity for a stronger inclusion of Member states throughout the process along with strenghtening the open  and secure science. 

Conclusions on a call for action on life sciences for the Union’s competitiveness and Conclusions on the importance of research and innovation for the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy were approved. The latter are sending a clear message on the need for a collective action for EU to become a focal place for startups and scale-ups in order to overcome the innovation gap outside and inside the Union.

A working lunch discussion was held on the topic of the future ambitions at EU level on research and technology infrastructures during which it was highlighted that there is a need to assess the available facilities and services in the global landscape and to identify priority areas. While there is a recognized importance of infrastructures in the new Framework Programme proposal, importance of transparent rules and clear selection criteria for the proposed coverage of 20 percent of building cost for critical infrastructures was underlined. Finally, it was pointed out how a broader recognition of infrastructures in the context of Union-wide challenges beyond the Framework programme was not fully reflected in the Strategy on Research and Technology infrastructures.
 
Minister Fuchs held a bilateral meeting with the Ekatarina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, during which they exchanged on Croatia's views on the Horizon Europe proposal in view of the upcoming negotiations in Council.

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