The Insider, Season 2, Episode 4

“A 2026 Deep Dive with Muriel Attané”

Europe enters 2026 with a strong inheritance in research and innovation. Well-established frameworks, mature institutions, and a long-standing reputation for scientific excellence continue to underpin its global position. But the year ahead will test something more demanding: Europe’s ability to act strategically in a context shaped by geopolitical pressure, industrial competition, and accelerating technological change.

In this episode of The Insider, Ricardo Miguéis is joined by Muriel Attané, Secretary General of EARTO, for a wide-ranging conversation on where Europe’s research and innovation system stands, and the choices now taking shape beneath the surface.

Part 1 – Looking at Europe from the outside

The discussion deliberately starts beyond Europe’s own policy debates. Drawing on Muriel’s recent international engagements, including in South Korea and Canada, the episode explores how Europe is perceived as a research and technology partner, and how global actors assess its reliability, speed, and strategic clarity.

The conversation looks at how international collaboration is evolving in a more politicised environment, where research, technology and geopolitics are increasingly intertwined. It also examines what external partners read into Europe’s current discussions around FP10 and the European Competitiveness Fund, and how those signals shape expectations about Europe’s future role.

This first part focuses on positioning and perception: where Europe inspires confidence, where questions arise, and why credibility, coordination and clarity matter as much as formal frameworks.

Part 2 – FP10, competitiveness and the capacity to deliver

The second part turns inward, shifting from perspective to analysis. Rather than revisiting familiar reform narratives, the discussion looks at the quieter dynamics inherited from 2025: mounting pressure for speed and scale, changing governance patterns, and growing questions about institutional readiness.

A central focus is the evolving relationship between FP10 and the European Competitiveness Fund. Beyond funding volumes or programme architecture, the conversation examines steering capacity, governance choices, and the challenge of aligning instruments, actors and timelines in a system under strain.

Throughout the episode, Research and Technology organisations (RTOs) emerge as key, if often understated, actors. Positioned at the interface between research, industry, and policy, they are increasingly called upon to help translate ambition into action, coordinate across ecosystems, and respond at speed to shifting priorities.

Rather than offering predictions, the episode closes with a set of questions that will define the years ahead: how Europe chooses to govern its innovation system, where it is willing to prioritise, and how long difficult decisions can be deferred without consequence.

Rather than offering predictions, the episode closes by identifying the issues that will decisively shape Europe’s trajectory in the years ahead — and the risks of postponing difficult decisions.

Listen to “A 2026 Deep Dive with Muriel Attané”

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References:

During the episode, Ricardo Miguéis refers to two books that help frame the discussion around state capacity, innovation and long-term competitiveness. For listeners interested in exploring these ideas further, the references are listed below:

• How to Make an Entrepreneurial State: Why Innovation Needs Bureaucracy

Kattel, R., Drechsler, W., & Karo, E. (2022). Yale University Press.

• How Progress Ends: Technology, Innovation, and the Fate of Nations

Frey, C. B. (2025). Princeton University Press.

The Insider - Season 2, Episode 2

"European Innovation Scoreboard 2025 Explained: Bridging Data and Policy with Alasdair Reid"

Season 2 continues with a topic that sits right at the crossroads of evidence and strategy in European research: the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) 2025. We talk a lot about innovation in Europe — but do we really understand the numbers we rely on to judge how well we’re doing?

In this episode, Ricardo Miguéis is joined by Alasdair Reid, economist and long-standing contributor to Europe’s innovation policy framework. Alasdair has been closely involved with the European Innovation Scoreboard since its origin, overseeing key elements of innovation policy benchmarking, and currently serves as coordinator for the 2024-2027 period. His perspective reflects a deep, system-level understanding of how innovation indicators are developed, interpreted, and translated into policy.

With the new EIS 2025 now out, this conversation is a chance to take a step back and look at what these indicators actually tell us, and what they don’t.

Part 1 – Making Sense of the Numbers

The first half of the episode looks at how the scoreboard came about, how it has changed over the years, and what the 2025 edition reveals about Europe’s innovation landscape. Ricardo and Alasdair discuss:

• What stands out in the EIS 2025 results, and where the data remains silent
• Why countries with similar tools and spending patterns often move in very different directions
• The role that governance, trust and institutional capacity quietly play in shaping innovation
• Why benchmark indicators often become political stories, not just technical ones
• How the scoreboard can be both incredibly useful — and sometimes misleading

It’s a reminder that metrics don’t simply describe reality; they influence how we understand it.

Part 2 – From Indicators to Strategy (and FP10)

The conversation then widens to Europe’s bigger innovation challenges and the structural questions behind them. This includes:

• The long-standing regional paradox: why some areas surge ahead while others remain stuck
• Lessons from countries like China or Canada, and what Europe can and cannot borrow from them
• The persistent gap between policy intentions and actual outcomes on the ground
• Whether our current indicators are fit for a world shaped by green, digital, social and geopolitical transitions
• How FP10 might look if Europe treated metrics not just as a scoreboard, but as a steering tool

One theme keeps resurfacing: measurement shapes strategy, and Europe may need to rethink what it values if it wants different results.

For anyone involved in European R&I — from research organisations and innovation agencies to policymakers and analysts — this episode is an opportunity to hear directly from someone who has helped define the indicators we all work with. It sheds light on the logic behind the EIS, its limitations, and the broader implications for the next Framework Programme.

Listen to “European Innovation Scoreboard 2025 Explained: Bridging Data and Policy with Alasdair Reid” on The Insider.

The Insider Podcast - Season 2, Episode 1

"Progress Reimagined: Putting Societies at the Heart of European Research"

We’re back!

Season 2 of The Insider opens with a big question – maybe THE question – for European research right now: What happens when society becomes an afterthought in how we fund and govern science? And what would it take to put people back at the centre of the picture?

In this first episode, Ricardo Miguéis sits down with Dr. Gabi Lombardo, Director of the European Alliance for Social Sciences and Humanities (EASSH) and someone who’s spent years trying to fix exactly that. Gabi has seen the system from every angle, from the London School of Economics and the ERC to Science Europe and EASSH, and she’s built one of the strongest cases for treating the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) as co-designers of European R&I, not just background noise.

The episode unfolds in two parts:

Part 1 – Where we come from

Gabi reflects on her path, the institutional blind spots she’s seen up close, and why SSH remains structurally misunderstood in Europe. She talks about the famous Frascati Manual problem, fragmented national systems, and why “integration” is not the same as genuine collaboration. Behind the acronyms lies a deeper issue: the way Europe still defines what counts as “research excellence” – often in ways that overlook the human dimensions of progress.

Part 2 – Where we go next

The conversation dives into FP10, and the new Society policy window, asking what it would really mean to let SSH help design missions, instead of commenting from the sidelines. From the obsession with “resilience” to the need to look beyond GDP when measuring progress, this part links directly with how Europe defines ambition and what kind of future it is actually building.

Throughout the episode, one idea keeps coming back: Europe doesn’t just need to fund SSH, it needs to learn from it. Because, if we want to talk seriously about trust, democracy, or legitimacy, we can’t treat social knowledge as an accessory. It’s a public good.

For INESC Brussels HUB, this episode sets the tone for Season 2 – a season about how Europe chooses to innovate, and what kind of progress it truly wants to build.

Listen to “Progress Reimagined: Putting Societies at the Heart of European Research”, now streaming on The Insider.

The Insider – Season 2, Episode 0

Season 2 of The Insider starts with a special Episode 0 – a pre-launch recorded live during an internal INESC webinar in October: “Understanding FP10 & the European Competitiveness Fund: Strategic implications for INESC.”

In this episode, host Ricardo Miguéis talks with Carla Matias dos Santos, Research and Space Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Portugal to the European Union. From her position inside the Council policy ecosystem, Carla has been closely involved in the political discussions around the Framework Programme 10 (FP10) and the proposed European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) – two instruments that will shape how Europe organises and funds research and innovation in the next decade.

The session was originally designed as an internal workshop for the INESC community. We’re now sharing it more widely because the discussion is highly relevant for anyone trying to understand where the European research and innovation policy is heading.

During the conversation, Carla and Ricardo look at:

• How FP10 is being structured – including key novelties such as dual-use research, research and technology infrastructures, and changes to widening measures.

• The rationale behind the European Competitiveness Fund, its four policy windows, and the idea of following the full path from research to deployment, manufacturing, and market uptake.

• The links between FP10 and the ECF: shared governance, a common rulebook, and what this means in practice for collaborative research and strategic domains like AI, digital, decarbonisation, health, resilience, security and defence.

• What all this implies for research organisations: larger and more directional projects, stronger emphasis on partnership-building, and the need to think earlier and more strategically about positioning.

For INESC, this episode also serves as an early step on the way to the HUB Winter Meeting 2026, feeding into our work on scenario building, FP10 readiness and long-term strategic alignment across centres and institutes.

Whether you work within INESC, lead a research organisation elsewhere in Europe, or are involved in designing and implementing R&I policy and programmes, this episode offers a very concrete, practitioner-level view of the FP10–ECF debate.

Listen to Episode 0 and explore how FP10 and the ECF are likely to frame European research and innovation in the next decade.

In this episode, Ricardo Migueis speaks with Matthias Björnmalm, Secretary General of CESAR, about the shifting role of European universities in a time when science, sovereignty, and security are increasingly intertwined. Matthias reflects on his international journey through different research environments and how those experiences have shaped his views on collaboration, responsibility, and the broader role of science in society.

The conversation dives into CESAR’s work supporting European universities of science and technology, its diverse membership, and the careful balance between openness and research security. Matthias explains how dual-use technologies, defense research, and governance structures require thoughtful, interdisciplinary approaches rooted in strong ethical foundations.

Ricardo and Matthias explore the tension between academic autonomy and institutional compliance, the influence of European funding frameworks, and the risk of overly directive policies that could undermine innovation. They also discuss the importance of foresight in preparing for future skills needs and the responsibilities universities carry when it comes to societal impact and global engagement.

Throughout the episode, Matthias makes the case for universities especially technical ones to act as reflective, engaged institutions that not only generate knowledge but help steer societal progress across local, national, and European levels.

Takeaways

• European universities must navigate the growing intersection between science, security, and sovereignty while preserving academic integrity.
• Governance models in universities must balance institutional autonomy with compliance and societal accountability, particularly in sensitive domains.
• Ethical engagement in research, especially in defense and dual use technologies, requires interdisciplinary input and reflective institutional mechanisms.
• Top down policy frameworks risk limiting innovation and undermining the capacity for critical scientific exploration.
• Universities should actively shape policy discourse, particularly in strategic areas such as research security, knowledge protection, and societal resilience.
• Open engagement with global partners must be balanced against emerging constraints in knowledge security and geopolitical shifts.
• The concept of “autonomy traps” illustrates the risks of assigning universities responsibilities beyond their core missions without adequate support or authority.
• Strategic coherence across European funding instruments remains essential; policy structures should prioritise functional synergies over administrative consolidation.
• Technical universities have a pivotal role in foresight processes, particularly in anticipating future skills needs and guiding societal transitions.
• CESAR positions itself as a solution oriented, peer driven network that aims to elevate European science and technology in service of the public good.
• Research integrity frameworks must evolve to address contemporary challenges, supporting informed and contextual decision making at all institutional levels.
• Cultural change within funding institutions and governance structures is necessary to enable effective and resilient synergies.
• Universities are not isolated entities but are embedded in societal systems. They must engage meaningfully with their communities to retain legitimacy and relevance.
• Maintaining openness in higher education and research requires thoughtful mechanisms that do not compromise institutional trust or mission.
• Europe’s strategic autonomy in science and technology must be grounded in collaborative foresight, broad engagement, and support for bottom up innovation.

The 2025 INESC Brussels HUB Summer Meeting, titled "Strategic Autonomy & Dual-Use R&I: Coherence, Capabilities & Europe’s Future.

Access the full programme and registration details here

In this episode, Ricardo Migueis sits with Eszter Lakos, a member of the European Parliament, to explore the concept of widening in European research and innovation.

They discuss the importance of leadership, trust, and cultural shifts in fostering collaboration across Europe. Eszter shares her personal journey and insights into the challenges and successes of widening initiatives, emphasizing the need for a living system approach that goes beyond mere policy.

The conversation highlights the interconnectedness of institutional structures and personal agency in driving change within the European research landscape. They discuss the complexities of mainstreaming in research funding, the importance of maintaining excellence, and the challenges faced by widening institutions.

They explore the concept of a 'ghetto' in research funding, the need for alignment between funding programs, and the role of cohesion funds. The dialogue emphasizes the importance of political cohesion and the future of widening in European research, culminating in a vision for 2035 where institutions in widening regions are autonomous and competitive.

Takeaways

• Widening is more than a policy; it's a living system.
• Leadership in research requires deep listening and understanding.
• Cultural shifts are essential for effective collaboration.
• Trust is a fundamental element in research and innovation.
• Widening countries carry historical legacies that impact development.
• Successful initiatives often stem from visionary leadership.
• Institutional inertia can slow down necessary changes.
• Collaboration between academia and industry is crucial for progress.
• Mainstreaming widening across EU programs is a potential solution.
• Flexibility in instruments can enhance stakeholder engagement. Mainstreaming in research funding must not dilute excellence.
• Widening institutions should not be seen as inferior.
• Positive self-reinforcement is crucial for widening programs.
• Alignment of funding programs is necessary for effective research.
• Cohesion funds play a significant role in research and innovation.
• Widening is a choice that reflects political cohesion.
• The future of widening must be integrated into the framework program.
• A strong knowledge base is essential for global competitiveness.
• Widening can help retain talent within the EU.
• Political conditions are necessary for a cohesive widening program.

Chapters

00:06: Introduction to Widening in European Research

02:31: Eszter Lakos: A Journey of Leadership and Values

13:37: Widening as a Living System: Understanding the Ecosystem

22:31: Challenges in Resource Distribution and Trust

27:14: Navigating Institutional Structures and Personal Agency

31:57: Current Dynamics in Widening: Successes and Challenges

41:37: Mainstreaming and Excellence in Research Funding

44:11: The Ghetto Concept in Widening Institutions

46:40: Positive Self-Reinforcement in Widening Programs

49:15: Aligning Funding Programs for Research and Innovation

52:29: The Role of Cohesion Funds in Research

56:44: Widening as a Choice for Political Cohesion

01:01:12: Future of Widening in European Research

01:08:35: Imagining the European Research Landscape in 2035

The 2025 INESC Brussels HUB Summer Meeting, titled "Strategic Autonomy & Dual-Use R&I: Coherence, Capabilities & Europe’s Future," will bring together research-performing organisations (RPOs), EU policymakers, national authorities, and industry representatives to examine how Europe can reinforce its strategic autonomy through research, innovation, and coordinated funding.

Access the full programme and registration details here

In this episode of The Insider, Ricardo Migueis discusses the evolving role of research performing organizations in Europe, emphasizing the need for systemic thinking in research and innovation policy. He introduces the concept of the 'Fraunhofer moment' to illustrate how these organizations are becoming strategic actors in shaping Europe's future.

Ricardo highlights the importance of building ecosystems that foster collaboration and adaptability, and outlines key priorities for future framework programs to support this vision.

Takeaways

• We are all system builders now.
• Europe's ambitions require tangible outcomes, not just declarations.
• Research organizations are moving beyond traditional roles.
• Ecosystem thinking is essential for addressing complex challenges.
• Missions in Horizon Europe need to create space for connection.
• Public policy must focus on creating supportive frameworks.
• Excellence should encompass institutional management and collaboration.
• Building alliances is crucial for long-term impact.
• Leadership in research and innovation must be visionary and resilient.
• The real work lies in shaping the systems that carry ambition forward.

Chapters

00:00: Introduction to The Insider

00:58: The Role of Research Performing Organizations

05:45: The Concept of Ecosystems in Research and Innovation

10:05: Priorities for Future Framework Programs

13:01: The Importance of Systemic Thinking

The 2025 INESC Brussels HUB Summer Meeting, titled "Strategic Autonomy & Dual-Use R&I: Coherence, Capabilities & Europe’s Future," will bring together research-performing organisations (RPOs), EU policymakers, national authorities, and industry representatives to examine how Europe can reinforce its strategic autonomy through research, innovation, and coordinated funding.

Access the full programme and registration details here