Gaps must be closed to ensure European competitiveness in tech development, industry expert warns

Europe is lagging behind the two major global powers in both the research that underlies new technologies and the infrastructures needed to develop them, an industry expert has warned.

“We have two gaps,” Pascal Metivier, head of research and innovation at the materials company Syensqo, told Research Europe. “The first one is we’re falling behind in researching and developing new technologies compared with the US and China. The second is that once you’ve discovered the technology, you still require pilots, demonstrations and more research. We must fill both these gaps.”