On Tuesday 26 January 2016, the informal meeting of Ministers in charge of Research opened in Amsterdam with a speech made by Bill Gates.
The founder of Microsoft spoke of the philanthropic causes to which the company is committed, in particular the philanthropic causes to which it is committed, particularly its role in the creation of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), the fight of the Gates Foundation against malaria and tuberculosis and its work with HIV prevention programmes and AIDS treatment.
At the plenary session held on 27 January 2016, ministers exchanged views on the successes and impacts of projects under the 7th Framework Programme on Research and Innovation (R&I).
Ministers then discussed the two recommendations from the ex-post evaluation of the 7th Framework Programme, emphasising the importance for such programmes to focus on critical challenges within a global context and to involve European citizens more therein. In this regard, Luxembourg's Minister of Higher Education and Research, Marc Hansen, spoke of the importance in effectively committing the private sector and the need to "bring science closer to European citizens".
During a lunch meeting, the Ministers present debated the pros and cons of establishing a visa or European license for foreign start-up founders and ways of supporting ecosystems that would be favourable to start-ups.
The second working session focused on the obstacles in R & I regulations and the use of tools such as innovations deals and innovation principle.
Government NL / Valerie Kuypers
