G.Stic Brussels: Aligning Innovation, Policy and Finance for SDG Impact 15/06/2026

On 8 June, Manuel Heitor participated in the 9th G.STIC conference in Brussels, delivering a keynote speech in the panel 'Aligning Innovation, Policy and Finance for SDG Impact'. During his speech, he emphasised five key points:

1. Research and innovation as a “public good”, requiring the necessary public investment to foster a framework of preparation, prevention and readiness;
2.  ?the need to understand and consider the «translational research continuum» as the most adequate policy framework, to be implemented with a portfolio of different public incentives to foster competitive excellence, collaborative research toward as industrial competitiveness, collaborative research to face emerging societal challenges and building up R&I ecosystems. This requires, more than never before strengthening research and innovation institutions and to engage young adults through adequate research careers; 
3.  ?adequate public finance framework, in terms of access to financial markets to raise public investment and public procurement;
4.  ?adequate independent governance, following and leveraging the «ERC model» tested in Europe;
5.  ?a nuanced, granular global S&T cooperation framework, requiring adequate (project based) research security frameworks and, above all, institutional research integrity.