R&I Days 2025: Advancing R&I to Boost the EU’s Automotive Competitiveness

From 16 to 17 September, the sixth edition of the European Research & Innovation (R&I) Days 2025 was held in Brussels. The event gathered high-level policymakers, business leaders, and researchers to shape Europe’s research and innovation agenda.

In the session ‘Driving R&I Forward: roadblocks and accelerators for the EU automotive competitiveness’, Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Startups, Joachim Post, CTO and Member of the Board of Management, BMW Group, and Yann Vincent, CEO, ACC, discussed the central role of R&I actions.

Following the publication of the Industrial Action Plan for the European automotive industry in March 2025, the speakers discussed specific measures to shape a robust and sustainable automotive sector.

Strategic funding through public-private partnerships is crucial for advancing the most relevant technologies and investing directly in critical sectors that drive the EU economy. For example, sustainable value chains for zero-emission vehicles, AI and Software-Defined Vehicles, batteries, and more. These strategic investments help accelerate innovation and enhance Europe’s competitiveness.

The European automotive industry is navigating challenging transformations in digitalisation and achieving our sustainability targets while facing increasing competition. Earlier this year, we announced our commitment to transform research and innovation (Position Paper: the Future Automotive Partnership JU) in the automotive sector.

R&I Days 2025, session ‘Driving R&I Forward: roadblocks and accelerators for the EU automotive competitiveness’: Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Startups and Joachim Post, CTO and Member of the Board of Management, BMW Group.