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Fátima Taboada López, Intern

The aim of the 2nd International Conference on Research Infrastructures (ICRI 2014) is to demonstrate how infrastructure shared by several states can respond to the major challenges facing the world at national or international level, identify lessons learned and set priorities and directions for the future.

Тhe goals are to present the main features and to clearly identify the challenges and incentives for international cooperation; to highlight the essential role of research infrastructures in the world in terms of addressing the major challenges of humanity at every level, national, regional and international; to study the needs and challenges that arise during the development and operation of international research infrastructures; and to further elaborate the recommendations made during previous conferences.

Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) - in addition to the private investment that this money will attract. It promises more breakthroughs, discoveries and world-firsts by taking great ideas from the lab to the market and offers many opportunities for researchers and innovators in Greece and across Europe.

Seen as a means to drive economic growth and create jobs, Horizon 2020 has the political backing of Europe’s leaders and the Members of the European Parliament. They agreed that research is an investment in our future and so put it at the heart of the EU’s blueprint for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and jobs.

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science said that Europe needs new ideas for its recovery, and innovation and research play an important role here because they create growth and employment. The main obstacle is that European governments spend only 2 percent of their GDP on research and innovation. However, the situation of Greece is even worse, because it spends only 0.7 percent.

One of the purposes is to build innovation management capacity for Small and Medium Enterprises, that is, the internal ability of companies to manage innovation processes from the generation of the idea to its profitability on the market. In addition, that research can be commercialized and enjoyed by all.

With this new programme and funding, it is expected that many young Greek researchers who have left Greece to continue their studies in research, will return to the country and continue to work here, as well as to share their knowledge. They expect the programme to be ready by this September or October and that the necessary funding will be obtained as soon as possible.