The Guild highlights how crucial it is to increase investment in fundamental research, specifically in computer sciences since it is a significant opportunity to discover innovative digital solutions. Without the knowledge produced by fundamental and frontier research, the EU will not be able to become a digitally empowered, competitive, resilient, circular, and climate-neutral economy.
The Guild emphasises that the EU’s objective of increased resilience and competitiveness must go hand in hand with a human-centred approach to digitalisation. Through Horizon Europe, the EU should work towards developing its own digital economy rooted in common EU values, instead of focusing only on creating digital champions to compete with other world’s leaders.
Horizon Europe must also support the development of technological solutions for accelerating the emergence of a successful and fair data-driven economy. In our increasingly digital world, data can address societal challenges. Therefore, it is crucial to facilitate data flows for research purposes to maximise their potential.
Additionally, The Guild urges Horizon Europe to fully use the capacity of digital transformation to accelerate the shift towards a greener and more sustainable future. Research is essential for creating innovative digital solutions to support the green transition and create a more resource-efficient economy. However, the use of digital technologies should not contribute to increasing the consumption of resources and energy. Thus, basic digital research must focus more on the creation of green digital solutions.
Finally, The Guild stresses that digital research should be used more effectively to enhance the democratic governance of public institutions, assist with their decision-making, and increase the societal acceptability of their decisions. Better use of data in public administration could also result in providing better services to citizens, for instance in the health, education, or transport sectors.
Vladimir Estivill-Castro, Head of the Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Pompeu Fabra University said: “It is crucial that Horizon Europe invests in research on artificial intelligence (AI), whose advancement can only be measured against the benefits it brings to individuals, organisations – including public bodies – and society. Furthermore, AI research must profit from the availability of Big Data spaces to create an effective and long-lasting positive impact on pressing issues such as planetary well-being than the sustainable development goals of the UN.”
Jan Palmowski, Secretary-General of The Guild, added: “In recent weeks Google and Microsoft have provided further evidence of how Artificial Intelligence will dominate our every-day lives. If we want our digital future to be determined not by the strategies of private companies but by the public interest and the values Europeans hold dear, we must invest in research. The EU, and national governments, must invest more in research, including in digital and AI-research. Our (digital) future depends on it.”
14 February 2023
Find below additional publications The Guild published in response to the European Commission consultation on the Horizon Europe programme:
Re-orient Horizon Europe missions to support cutting-edge research | 24 January 2023
Priorities for Strengthening Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities Research in Horizon Europe | 31 January 2023
Priorities for health research in Horizon Europe’s pillar 2 | 7 February 2023
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