Research & development

Blog Post

Questions to Mariya Gabriel the Commissioner-designate for Innovation and Youth

European Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen disseminated her mission letters to commissioner-designates. The letter to the commissioner-designate for Innovation and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, highlights several essential priorities, yet they leave a number of important questions open that I recommend Members of the European Parliament to ask at the upcoming parliamentary hearings of the designates.

By: Reinhilde Veugelers Topic: Digital economy and innovation Date: September 26, 2019

Podcast

Deep Focus: Striving for research excellence with Horizon Europe

In this episode of 'The Sound of Economics', Reinhilde Veugelers speaks about her recent Bruegel paper, requested by the European Parliament, on using public resources to improve the EU's potential to be a global centre of excellence for research in the next decade.

By: The Sound of Economics Topic: Macroeconomic policy Date: June 4, 2019

External Publication

Europe – the global centre for excellent research

This report, requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, analyses the EU’s potential to be a global centre of excellence for research as a driver of its future growth in a complex global S&T landscape, and how EU public resources can contribute to this.

By: Michael Baltensperger and Reinhilde Veugelers Topic: Digital economy and innovation Date: May 22, 2019

Blog Post

Getting better all the time: The benefits of learning for decarbonisation

The technological development will dramatically impact decarbonisation cost. In this blog post, the author suggests that national decarbonisation strategies should put a special emphasis on the benefits of learning.

By: Georg Zachmann and Bruegel Topic: Green economy Date: April 16, 2019

Opinion

China's strategy: Growth, alliances, and tech acquisition

Despite the pause in the US-China trade war, the US and China are strategic competitors, and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. China realizes that there is little room to settle long-term disputes and, as a result has shifted towards a strategy that focuses on sustaining growth at any cost, expanding alliances, and advancing its technology.

By: Alicia García-Herrero Topic: Global economy and trade Date: February 27, 2019

Opinion

What can the EU do to keep its firms globally relevant?

There is a fear that EU companies will find it increasingly difficult to be on top of global value chains. Many argue that EU-based firms simply lack the critical scale to compete and, in order to address this problem, that Europe’s merger control should become less strict. But the real question is where the EU can strengthen itself beyond the realm of competition policy.

By: Georgios Petropoulos, Guntram B. Wolff and Bruegel Topic: Digital economy and innovation, Macroeconomic policy Date: February 15, 2019

Past Event

Is the European automotive industry ready for the global electric vehicle revolution?

How can Europe catch up on the global electric vehicle race?

Speakers: Eric Feunteun, Jacques Pieraerts, Julia Poliscanova, Simone Tagliapietra, Reinhilde Veugelers and Bruegel Topic: Digital economy and innovation, Green economy Location: Bruegel, Rue de la Charité 33, 1210 Brussels Date: February 12, 2019

Blog Post

How Europe could yet take the lead in the global electric-vehicle development race

The electrification of vehicles has become a key trend in the automotive sector, driven by clean energy and climate-change concerns. In a scenario of further proliferation of electric vehicles, the authors here consider how Europe might best attempt to catch and overtake other countries’ manufacturers and suppliers in the development race.

By: Simone Tagliapietra, Reinhilde Veugelers and Bruegel Topic: Digital economy and innovation Date: January 9, 2019

Podcast

Deep Focus: Europe's auto industry and the global electric vehicle revolution

Bruegel fellows Reinhilde Veugelers and Simone Tagliapietra elaborate on the recent Policy Contribution they co-authored on the European automotive industry in the light of the global electric vehicle revolution.

By: The Sound of Economics Topic: Digital economy and innovation Date: January 8, 2019

Policy Contribution

Is the European automotive industry ready for the global electric vehicle revolution?

This Policy Contribution investigates the position of the European automotive industry in a scenario in which electrification substantially progresses. Europe cannot follow China in the adoption of centrally-planned industrial policy measures. But it certainly can and should do more to stimulate the transformation of its automotive industry through more ambitious policies.

By: Gustav Fredriksson, Alexander Roth, Simone Tagliapietra and Reinhilde Veugelers Topic: Digital economy and innovation Date: December 20, 2018

External Publication

Learning for decarbonisation

This external publication, put together in the framework of the COP21 RIPPLES Consortium, makes the case that national decarbonisation strategies should put a special emphasis on the benefits of learning. Accordingly, countries should start early to deploy and develop low-carbon technologies, concentrate on promising technologies, exploit individual regional strength and bear in mind the opportunities and constraints of the national innovation system.

By: Alexander Roth and Georg Zachmann Topic: Green economy Date: November 8, 2018

Opinion

Japan must boost R&D to keep rising Chinese rivals at bay

As China shifts into a more advanced industrialised economy, Japan has slowly but surely lost to some of its comparative advantages to its rival. One possible solution to help the government keep pace would be to concentrate research and development efforts on a few key sectors where Japanese players still hold a large competitive lead.

By: Alicia García-Herrero and Bruegel Topic: Digital economy and innovation Date: September 20, 2018