Europe produces excellent science, but too often the path from academic insight to innovation, uptake, and societal impact remains slow, fragmented, or overly dependent on individual initiative. This round-table explores how knowledge transfer and innovation from academia can be better organised across Europe, and what barriers still prevent researchers, universities, companies, and policymakers from working together effectively.

We will discuss how to create the right incentives, institutional structures, partnerships, and policy frameworks to help academic knowledge move more rapidly and responsibly into practice. The aim will be to move beyond the familiar call for “more innovation” and ask what Europe actually needs to change in order to make innovation uptake easier, fairer, and more effective.

The round table brings together representatives from the science-for-policy ecosystem, Mangala Srinivas, Deputy Chair of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors within the SAM, Douglas Robinson, Policy Advisor at the Science and Technology Policy Division of the OECD; Further speakers will be confirmed soon. This session will be moderated by Rudolf Hielscher, Manager of SAPEA.