EU: Slovakia supports a stronger Europe in science, innovation, and space

Bratislava – The EU Council for Competitiveness, part of research and space, last week in Brussels focused on the importance of research, innovation, and space technologies for the future of Europe. State Secretary of the Ministry of Education Ján Hrinko emphasized at this event that Slovakia supports a stronger Europe in science, innovation, and space. TASR was informed about this on Tuesday by the Communication and Marketing Department of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research, and Youth of the Slovak Republic.

One of the main topics of the EU ministers’ discussions was the evaluation of the Horizon Europe program and the preparation of the new framework program FP10 for the period 2028 – 2034.

“Horizon Europe has been the engine of recovery and a catalyst for resilience. Therefore, Slovakia supports the continuation of tools like Teaming and the strengthening of widening participation,” said J. Hrinko. According to him, FP10 should be “an opportunity to better target support for startups and small innovative companies.”

The Slovak Republic agreed to the approval of the EU Council’s recommendation on the Political Program ERA for the years 2025 – 2027, which sets out the goals and principles to be implemented through cross-cutting structural policies and actions of ERA.

Another point was the use of artificial intelligence in science. The ministers approved conclusions calling for a comprehensive strategy to support the implementation of AI in science in an ethical, sustainable, and inclusive manner.

During the working lunch, the initiative “Choose Europe for Science” resonated, aimed at promoting Europe as a leading destination to attract scientific talent from around the world.

“Europe has a strong academic ecosystem and potential in cutting-edge research, but if we want to be a leader in research, we must improve coordination among member states and align national policies with EU-wide goals,” emphasized the state secretary.

In the section dedicated to space, the ministers addressed the enormous potential of satellite data, especially from the Copernicus and Galileo programs, for increasing resilience in the EU, civil protection, and crisis management. They also highlighted the necessity of strengthening the security of this data, especially against cyber threats and manipulation. At the same time, it is necessary to fully respect the powers of member states in the area of national security and defense. (May 27)