Over 120 Researchers Call for Overhaul of European Innovation Funding to Bridge Lab‑to‑Market Gap

A recent Policy Forum piece in Science contends that while Europe excels at basic research, its capacity to turn lab discoveries into marketable products lags, and a coalition of more than 120 scientist‑innovators has outlined a set of reforms aimed at closing this divide.

The authors, representing universities, research institutes and start‑up ecosystems across the continent, argue that the present funding system privileges fundamental research and leaves only a narrow pathway to commercialization. They cite disjointed grant schemes, short‑term contracts for early‑career scientists, and scarce venture‑capital‑style financing as major barriers.

Their analysis points out that the United States and China have constructed more cohesive pipelines that shuttle discoveries from the bench to boardrooms, often via coordinated public‑private partnerships and dedicated translational funds. By contrast, Europe is described as “scatter” its innovation support across national borders, which can dilute impact and retard the growth of scalable firms.

Proposals include establishing a Europe‑wide “innovation seed fund” to supply multi‑year capital for promising technologies, aligning intellectual‑property regulations to simplify cross‑border collaboration, and creating career tracks that reward researchers for entrepreneurial achievements alongside scholarly publications.

The signatories maintain that such measures would not only enhance the continent’s economic competitiveness but also help tackle societal issues—from clean energy to health care—by speeding up the rollout of home‑grown solutions. The brief warns that without a more coherent strategy, Europe could lose talent to regions where the commercial outlook for scientific work is clearer.

The forum’s contributors urge EU bodies, national governments and private investors to implement the suggestions within the next two years, arguing that coordinated action could shrink the lab‑to‑market gap and nurture a new generation of European tech leaders.