The concluding phase
of the Foresight Exercise prepared the ground for an objective,
sound and transparent national priority setting by the government. The research
domains were assessed along a set of criteria, taking into account their
scientific potential, their feasibility, their potential to meet socio-economic
and ecological interests as well as their public acceptance. The FNR considers
all priorities to be of equal importance for Luxembourg.
While the Foresight
Exercise provides general directions, fine-tuning will still need to be done
and domains to be revisited regularly in order to ensure alignment with
unforeseen societal trends and the dynamics of research. The Foresight process
as such is now completed, but implementation has to be accompanied and recourse
to expert advice will again be necessary in the future.
There is also a clear need for
the continuation of the process started by this Foresight Exercise in view of
preparing the decisions that have to be made in order to implement research in
the coming years. Increasing spending on R&D will not, on its own, deliver optimal
outcomes. Implementing the results of the FNR Foresight, as well as improving
the Luxembourg research
system calls for R&D policy to address the following issues: How can Luxembourg
make the best use of the significant increases in funding for research? What is
the best way to build capacity in the priority domains? How can Luxembourg
improve the attractiveness of its research environment and become a magnet for
excellent researchers? How can the legal framework for research be upgraded?
How can interdisciplinary research be stimulated? How can the collaboration
between public and private research be fostered? What are the opportunities
that arise with the University of Luxembourg and the City of Science? How can the links between Luxembourg
and the international research context be increased? How can the right balance
be achieved between critical mass in specific domains and new emerging
opportunities that lie outside
of the research priorities?
In the long term, Luxembourg can achieve
a highly competitive status in specific domains and become what the
English call a "bijou" in research. With its young but very dynamic research
context and its rapidly expanding infrastructure, Luxembourg has already started to
attract high level experts. Following the present dynamics, Luxembourg can develop within the
next decade from a well known financial place to an equally well known place
for excellent research with a favourable societal and regulatory environment
and short ways from the lab to the market. The FNR, the Ministry of Culture, Higher Education, and
Research and the Luxembourg
research community have shown their commitment, starting points and possible
pathways have been identified in the Foresight Exercise. Despite its small
size, the Grand Duchy has the potential to become a powerhouse of research and
innovation.
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