Brussels, May 5 (LaPresse) – "We want Europe to remain at the forefront of fundamental research. We want Europe to lead in key technologies, from artificial intelligence to quantum computing, from space to semiconductors and microelectronics, to digital health, genomics, and biotechnology. We want scientists, researchers, academics, and highly skilled workers to choose Europe. That’s why today I am presenting the first elements of our ‘Choose Europe’ initiative," announced European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the “Choose Europe for Science” event at Sorbonne University in Paris.
"Our first priority is to ensure that science in Europe remains open and free – it’s our calling card. We must do everything we can to defend it, now more than ever. We want to strengthen the free flow of knowledge and data across Europe, just as we do with goods, talent, and capital in our single market. And we want to enshrine the freedom of scientific research in a new law on the European Research Area. Because, as global threats rise, Europe will not compromise its principles. Europe must remain the home of academic and scientific freedom."
"Europe has made its choice. We choose to be the continent where innovation serves humanity. Where talent from around the world is welcome. Because, as the history of the Sorbonne and our excellent universities show, progress thrives on freedom, openness, and collaboration. So to all researchers, at home or abroad, and to every young person dreaming of a life devoted to science – as Maria Sklodowska Curie once did – our message is clear: choose science. Choose Europe," von der Leyen concluded.