Interview with Eloise Todd, an advocacy, policy, campaigns, and strategy specialist with over 20 years’ experience working to change policies, legislation and budgets to improve lives. She is the Executive Director and Founder of rani, which coordinates advocacy to build societal resilience to shifts, change, and crisis.
1. We are in 2034, how would you say we can measure the success of a 175bn€ EU research programme?
A successful FP10 will find the strategic nexus between investments that bolster European competitiveness in R&I with investments that deliver dual benefits for European and global resilience. There is a clear opportunity for FP10 to help cement Europe as a leader in biomedical and climate innovation. But there is also a strong and strategic ROI for Europe to leverage FP10 to invest in research and innovation that often is not prioritised by industry, and benefits both European and global interests– especially investments with health and climate impacts in LMICs. If we can categorise the tangible investments that help drive advancements for Europe and the world, like affordable countermeasures for epidemic and pandemic threats or climate adaptation technologies that can be used in Europe and LMICs – and then report back the return on investment to Europe – that will be a big win.
2. Do you feel the proposed FP10 has the potential to help solve our biggest global health and climate challenges, future pandemics?
European competitiveness and strategic autonomy are imperatives for economic growth and security. But solving our biggest global challenges – like pandemic and climate threats – won’t happen if we approach R&I only from a European lens – more than ever our competitiveness and strategic autonomy relies on strong partnerships around the world, allies we can rely on and access to supply chains. Global challenges require global partnerships, collaboration, and priority setting — focused investments that deliver dual benefits across geographies as well as strong returns for Europe and the world. If FP10 doubles down on collaborative initiatives and the intersection between European and global resilience, including deepening promising programs like Horizon Europe’s Africa Initiative, there is great potential that it can advance progress on global challenges.
3. If you could change 3 things in the proposal FP10 what would they be?
We need to better understand how FP10 will support preparedness and health security– both for Europe and globally. R&I is critical to progress in these areas, but it remains unclear how and if global health preparedness and global health security will be prioritized.
FP10 can also take a stronger stance on how European investments in R&I will promote equitable access to new technologies – from medical countermeasures to climate innovations. Leaders should consider how to link funding to equitableaccess provisions to ensure European investments are generating global, whole-of-society returns.
FP10 should also focus on critical gaps in investment, and areas where industry and other stakeholders are not already optimally engaging. Let’s use these resources most strategically for maximum impact and double down on areas that both cement Europe as a leader in R&I and address strategic gaps for global resilience.
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