Europe cannot be a tech leader on 2% success rates

In a joint opinion article in Research Europe, Mattias Björnmalm and Manuel Heitor urge European leaders to invest in the technological capabilities Europe needs.
22nd October 2026
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As the CESAER Annual Meetings 2026 take place in Lisbon under the theme “Critical technologies for Europe: From excellence to capability”, with a high-level conference opened by António Costa, President of the European Council, a joint opinion article published today in Research Europe calls for Europe’s technological ambitions to be matched by investment.

Mattias Björnmalm, Secretary General of CESAER, and Manuel Heitor, Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico and former Portuguese Minister, highlight the European Innovation Council’s latest Pathfinder Open success rate of just 2% as a stark illustration of the gap between Europe’s technological potential and the resources available to realise it.

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