Source: European Union 2 Published on: 2026-05-29
Professor Philippe Aghion
on innovation and Europe’s research future
As Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions celebrates 3 decades of supporting research and training
We spoke with Prof. Philippe Aghion, Professor at the College de France and winner of the 2025 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
His message is clear
Europe must embrace boldness, prioritise excellence, and trust researchers to lead the way.
Europe must embrace boldness, prioritise excellence, and trust researchers to lead the way.
A lifetime of shaping European research
Over the years, Professor Aghion has been involved in several MSCA-funded projects. Most recently, he participated in the ECOCEP project. This project developed an integrated approach to modelling the impacts of climate and energy policies, aiming to advance toward a highly energy-efficient, low-carbon, and green global economy.
Earlier, he served as a scientific coordinator for the ERIETE project and contributed as a researcher to the NET project. His work embodies the spirit of the MSCA: collaboration, curiosity, and a commitment to tackling global challenges.
For decades, Prof. Aghion has championed the idea that true economic growth comes not from imitation, but from frontier innovation.
There are two ways to grow. You can catch up with others, or you can pioneer the next breakthrough. And the latter demands a relentless commitment to fundamental research.
There are two ways to grow. You can catch up with others, or you can pioneer the next breakthrough. And the latter demands a relentless commitment to fundamental research.
This idea lies at the heart of the Draghi Report on European Competitiveness, which he contributed to, emphasizing that Europe’s future depends on its ability to lead, not follow.
The path to groundbreaking research
So how can Europe foster the kind of research that pioneers breakthroughs?
For Prof. Aghion, excellence is a key condition for Europe’s research ambitions:
If we want Europe to lead, we must be uncompromising in our pursuit of excellence. Selecting the most promising minds, giving them the freedom to explore, and then stepping back: this is how you create breakthroughs.
If we want Europe to lead, we must be uncompromising in our pursuit of excellence. Selecting the most promising minds, giving them the freedom to explore, and then stepping back: this is how you create breakthroughs.
His advocacy for long-term, stable funding, like France’s Laboratoires d’Excellence (LabEx) that offered ten-year grants, underscores this point. “Researchers need security to take risks, to fail, and to try again” he argues.
But excellence alone is not enough. Europe must also ensure that its best researchers choose to stay and thrive here.
Europe is waking up, he says. We have the talent, the institutions, and the values to lead.
Europe is waking up, he says. We have the talent, the institutions, and the values to lead.
This is where initiatives like Choose Europe for Science come into play.
The MSCA’s pilot Choose Europe scheme, for example, is specifically addressing the need for stable career prospects and a supportive environment.
We must ensure that researchers don’t just pass through – they stay, they thrive, and they contribute to building something lasting.
We must ensure that researchers don’t just pass through – they stay, they thrive, and they contribute to building something lasting.
International mobility as a catalyst for innovation
Another key condition for pioneering breakthroughs is mobility: not just geographic, but also sectoral and interdisciplinary.
Prof. Aghion’s own career, a journey across many institutions, most notably Harvard University, the Collège de France, INSEAD, and the London School of Economics, is a testament to this.
The best ideas often emerge when you are exposed to new environments, new perspectives. That is why European programmes that encourage researchers to move, collaborate, and think beyond borders are so vital.
The best ideas often emerge when you are exposed to new environments, new perspectives. That is why European programmes that encourage researchers to move, collaborate, and think beyond borders are so vital.
He also highlights the importance of bridging the gap between research and impact.
The most impactful innovations often happen at the intersection of theory and practice, he notes.
The most impactful innovations often happen at the intersection of theory and practice, he notes.
His work on climate and energy policies through the MSCA ECOCEP project demonstrates how interdisciplinary collaboration can drive meaningful change.
We need to foster environments where researchers can engage with industry, policymakers, and society. That is how you turn ideas into action.
We need to foster environments where researchers can engage with industry, policymakers, and society. That is how you turn ideas into action.
This global vision of mobility, where researchers cross borders, disciplines and sectors, mirrors the ethos of programmes that empower them to do so, strengthening Europe’s competitiveness on the world stage.
Europe as a lighthouse
Yet what truly sets Europe apart, according to Prof. Aghion, is not just its scientific or economic might, but its values.
Europe stands for freedom, democracy, and a social model that balances innovation with equity. In a world where other powers are turning inward or prioritizing control over openness, Europe’s approach to research is a beacon.
Europe stands for freedom, democracy, and a social model that balances innovation with equity. In a world where other powers are turning inward or prioritizing control over openness, Europe’s approach to research is a beacon.
He sees programmes like the MSCA and the European Research Council (ERC) as embodiments of these principles.
By attracting global talent and fostering collaboration, Europe is not just advancing science: it’s proving that openness and excellence can go hand in hand.
By attracting global talent and fostering collaboration, Europe is not just advancing science: it’s proving that openness and excellence can go hand in hand.
A vision for the next 30 years
As MSCA enters its fourth decade, Prof. Aghion’s insights offer a roadmap for the future.
His reflections suggest that maintaining a strong and open research environment will be essential for enabling researchers to develop new ideas and contribute to addressing global challenges.
He emphasizes the continued importance of supporting excellence, encouraging mobility, and strengthening collaboration.
His final message is both a challenge and an inspiration.
Europe must dare to lead. The tools are there: talent, institutions, values. Now, we must have the courage to use them.
Europe must dare to lead. The tools are there: talent, institutions, values. Now, we must have the courage to use them.