European Research & Innovation Days 2025 Begin Today

The European Research & Innovation Days 2025 start today, 16 September, at The Square in Brussels, continuing until tomorrow, 17 September. Over the next two days, the European Commission’s flagship event will bring together policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and citizens to shape Europe’s research and innovation priorities.

With more than 20 sessions, high-level debates, and interactive workshops, this year’s programme focuses on Europe’s competitiveness and industrial leadership. Key themes include the Startup and Scaleup Strategy, the European Life Sciences Strategy, the AI in Science Strategy, and the new European Innovation and Research Area Acts.

Why should you join?

European R&I Days are designed for all categories of stakeholders:

Policymakers gain insights into current challenges and co-create strategies with experts.
Researchers and academics connect with industry and identify opportunities for applying their findings.
Businesses and SMEs explore innovation support, talent pipelines, and collaboration opportunities.
Students and citizens discover how European research and innovation shape their everyday lives and future opportunities.

This inclusive format makes the event the meeting point of Europe’s knowledge triangle — research, education, and innovation — ensuring that no perspective is left behind.

The themes being discussed — from AI in Science to Europe’s innovation and skills strategies — are deeply connected to the MERIT project’s goals. MERIT works to address the same priorities highlighted at R&I Days: building Europe’s capacity in advanced digital skills, ensuring that the workforce is ready to lead digital transformation, and fostering collaboration between universities, industry, and research centres.

The debates in Brussels today and tomorrow underline the importance of MERIT’s mission: creating sustainable educational ecosystems that respond to Europe’s skills gap and strengthen competitiveness.

MERIT’s Contribution to Europe

MERIT directly addresses one of the most urgent European challenges: the shortage of advanced digital specialists. By training students and professionals to design and lead digital transformation, the project:

Supports the EU Digital Decade targets for advanced digital skills.
Contributes to competitiveness by preparing talent that can drive innovation in industry.
Promotes sustainability by embedding Green Deal objectives into its curricula, such as using AI and IoT for smarter energy and resource management.
Enhances inclusiveness, ensuring that opportunities in the digital economy are open to all.

Join the event

Whether attending in Brussels or connecting online, participants can engage with leading voices, contribute ideas, and be part of shaping Europe’s research and innovation landscape.

📅 When: Today, 16 September & Tomorrow, 17 September 2025
📍Where: The Square, Brussels & Online 🔗 Registration link for on-site participation available here:

https://eu.eventscloud.com/ereg/newreg.php?eventid=200290669&categoryid=202070519. If you prefer to join online, the R&I Days will be streamed from the official event platform.

More details related to the event available here.

Together, through initiatives like MERIT project and the European R&I Days, Europe is building a future that is more digital, more sustainable, and more inclusive.