As the European Commission and rotating EU presidencies are working on the revamped European Research Area, it is time for a change of narrative. To get out of the COVID crisis, research and innovation are the keys to recovery, and that applies to all EU Member states. As Commissioner Mariya Gabriel puts it herself: “The EU no longer aims to bridge the innovation gap in Europe, but to promote “innovation cohesion”. The need to better connect European research and innovation stakeholders is rising on the EU policy agenda. On the ground, turning scientific discoveries into commercial products remains a major challenge in Europe. In parallel, industry players are still under-tapping into the scientific excellence and research infrastructures available across the continent.

The CAROTS project, funded under Interreg Baltic Sea Region, promotes a novel approach to tackle these challenges. Scientific Service Companies aim to support small and large companies through measurements and analysis of scientific data, to push emerging business ideas on the market faster. 

On September 21st, the CAROTS project’s final conference will bring together influential voices from research, industry, governments and EU institutions to showcase the relevance of such intermediary players to guide corporates in the research infrastructures ecosystem, accelerate innovation and help bridge the east-west innovation divide.