Robert-Jan Smits © European Union, 2016
Robert-Jan Smits © European Union, 2016

Robert-Jan Smits wins top EuroScience prize 

EuroScience has announced Robert-Jan Smits as the first ever recipient of its new award honouring individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to European science and society during their lifetime.

Smits – who has been the European Commission’s director general for research and innovation since 2010 – has been recognised for his efforts towards building a truly transformative science, technology and innovation landscape in Europe.

In a statement, EuroScience praised Smits’ proven track-record in international collaboration, which has ‘raised the institutional reputation of DG Research & Innovation to new heights’. The organisation added: ‘His legacy will prove his undying commitment to supporting researchers on the ground, his loyalty and support to civil-society actors everywhere and his true presence and personality.’

EuroScience president Lauritz Holm-Nielsen said that the accolade was an “expression of the high esteem and reputation [Smits] has earned through thick and thin, navigating through often challenging circumstances with a level of professionalism and grace that is second to none.”

Research and Innovation Commissioner Carlos Moedas added that he was “delighted” to hear of his colleague’s award. “Robert-Jan Smits has been a mainstay of the European research enterprise for nearly three decades,” he said. “EuroScience rightly recognises the role he has played at the forefront of our largest European-funded programme, so important to the day-to-day lives of our researchers, entrepreneurs, academics and, indeed, citizens.”

Smits’ near-30 years of service have seen him play a key role in, among other things, the creation of Horizon 2020, the development of the European Research Council and the Innovation Union, and the promotion of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures and the European Research Infrastructure Consortium.

Responding to the accolade, Smits said he has been “fortunate to have worked with some of the best commissioners who allowed me to deploy my creativity and energy to the benefit of European science”.

He added: “I have always been a strong believer in European co-operation in the field of science and innovation and have seen what we can achieve if we join forces to extend the frontiers of knowledge and find solutions for the grand societal challenges we are facing. This award is for me, as well, recognition of the trust and partnership that have characterised my collaboration with the science community and of the first class work my colleagues at DG RTD are doing since, in the end, it’s all about team work.”

Smits was honoured with the award and a lifetime membership of EuroScience in front of an audience of 600 at the conference ‘Science and Policy Making: Towards a New Dialogue’, jointly organised by the European Commission and the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA).