Learning from the Covid crisis : for a European vaccine development strategy that capitalizes on its strengths and overcomes its demons

As part of the " Covid Initiative " and the " Regards sur une crise " cycle , professors from the Collège de France and the Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique have, for several months now, been helping to shed light on the many facets of the systemic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, beyond strictly medical issues.

In order to broaden and deepen this reflection, the Collège de France and the Collège Belgique of the Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique, which have maintained fruitful links for many years, have decided to join forces and bring a European, French-speaking and interdisciplinary dimension to this contribution, taking the time to reflect in depth on the multiple issues at stake in the pandemic. The first concrete elements of this joint action consist of a series of webinars broadcast live, bringing together professors from both institutions to compare their thoughts in the form of dialogues on cross-cutting themes. Attendance is free and open to all, including members of the public, journalists, students and researchers, without prior registration.

Description

The Covid crisis highlighted the ability of science, government and industry to work together effectively to develop vaccines very quickly in developed countries. Europe has played an important role in this respect, notably through its scientific capabilities and vaccine production capacity, but has been criticized for its shortcomings in terms of the coherence of its innovation ecosystem, particularly in comparison with the United States. This symposium will look at the various elements of the innovation chain and draw conclusions regarding the way forward to better prepare for future pandemics, but also to continue fighting this one, both in terms of vaccinating poor countries and developing, producing and making available vaccines that can combat the new variants of this virus. In particular, the symposium will discuss: (i) the contribution of market regulation policies in general; (ii) the respective roles of the European Union and Member States in science and innovation policies; (iii) the relationship between public authorities and private operators; and (iv) the place of scientists in defining research and public health policies, both in European society and in its institutions.

Program

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

1:30 pm: Introduction

1:40 pm: Innovation and competition policies in Europe
Anne Perrot -Inspectrice Générale des Finances, Ministère de l'Économie, des Finances et de la Relance
Philippe Aghion - Professor of Economics, Collège de France

2:15pm: The European industrial ecosystem
Jean-David Malo - Director, European Innovation Council
Jean Stéphenne - Chairman of the Board, CureVac

2:50 pm: Break

3:05pm: European institutions and innovation
Michel Goldman - Professor of Immunology, I3h, Université libre de Bruxelles
André Sapir - Professor of Economics, Université libre de Bruxelles

3:40 pm: The place of science and scientists in European society and institutions
Edith Heard - Professor of Genetics, Collège de France
Philippe Busquin - former Commissioner for Research, European Commission
Alain Fischer - Professor of Immunology, Collège de France

4:30 pm: Conclusions and Q&A

Moderation:
Vanessa Costanzo - Moderator, Into the Comm
Mathias Dewatripont - Professor of Economics, I3h, Université libre de Bruxelles
Philippe Sansonetti - Professor of Microbiology, Collège de France