During the first half of November, international leaders gathered in Glasgow for COP26, the UN climate conference. The meeting was identified by many as critical to determining whether the world can realistically meet the targets of the 2015 Paris Agreement, and thereby mitigate the increasingly catastrophic effects of climate change. As signalled by Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, “the EU will bring to Glasgow the highest level of ambition”.  Yet it remains to be seen if others will follow, including its own member states, and commit to join forces and resources in a common approach.

Either way, the COP26 outcomes will be followed with keen interest by European research and innovation communities. Will COP26 deliver a major boost for the Green Deal, with its technology-driven transformation of industry?  Will it provide a new framing and direction of travel for Horizon Europe, with 35% of its budget committed to climate-related topics?  Will it unleash a new wave of climate innovation financing?  And will it open more doors to international cooperation and alliances, both scientific and governmental, in pursuit of solutions that will make a measurable difference?

In this public, livestreamed debate, Science|Business will bring together leading figures from the worlds of policy, science and industry to reflect on the outcomes from Glasgow, and to discuss their implications for European science and technology in the months ahead.