State Secretary Hirayama attends informal EU ministerial meeting on competition in research and innovation

State Secretary Martina Hirayama attended the informal meeting of ministers responsible for research and innovation from the EU member states in Prague (Czech Republic) on 21 and 22 July. The event, which takes place twice a year, focused on two different policy debates, namely synergies in the funding of research and innovation in Europe, and possible measures in the area of research and innovation in response to Russia's military aggression in Ukraine. State Secretary Hirayama also held bilateral talks with the representatives from Romania, Finland, Norway and Lithuania. The discussions on synergies in funding research and innovation in Europe aimed to break down barriers in the use of different and complementary EU programmes. By seeking synergies, research and innovation could contribute to an even greater extent to tackling major societal, environmental and economic challenges. Martina Hirayama, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, explained the pillars of Switzerland's research and innovation system. She underlined the importance of the bottom-up approach in public research and innovation funding and the importance of basic research for Switzerland.