BRUSSELS: The European Union (EU) is taking further steps to strengthen its research and innovation system.

According to reports, the three sets of conclusions adopted by the EU Council to establish political rules on international collaboration in the sphere of research and innovation, the promotion of open scientific policies, and the implementation of European missions.

The Ministers agreed that international collaboration should be guided by values and principles such as scientific freedom, gender equality, research excellence, and the preservation and enforcement of intellectual property rights. They agreed on the need to reform research assessment processes, strengthen academic and scientific publication capacities, and encourage multilingualism in open science.

These requirements were identified during the Covid-19 outbreak when quick access to reliable data and scientific research was key to halting the virus's spread.

The Ministers gave guidance on their governance structures for investments at the EU, national, regional, and local levels to work on European missions focusing on climate change, cancer prevention, healthy oceans and waters, climate-neutral and smart cities, and healthy soils in their conclusions.

They agreed that research and innovation will play a critical role in the management of these European missions.

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