HomeNews & EventsCOVID on campus: Will R&D ecosystems survive?

COVID on campus: Will R&D ecosystems survive?

23 April 2020 | Robert-Jan Smits of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and Andreas Mortensen of École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) discussed this with further R&D leaders in a webcast organised by Science|Business.

The R&D response to the COVID-19 crisis has been rightly praised in recent weeks, as scientists and institutions have mobilised to tackle the pandemic in unprecedented ways. However, the coronavirus has had less positive effects on the research world – from lockdowns of campuses and laboratories, to the suspension of whole ecosystems, pipelines and programmes which have been deemed ‘non-essential’.

Robert-Jan and Andreas have however both observed that the R&D ecosystem gets together more than ever. They see a lot of solidarity between scientists and with the other stakeholders.

At the same time, both expect a severe impact on the flow of talents, especially from outside Europe.

If you’ve missed the discussion, you can watch a recording here.