“Having SMEs & start-ups being part of the decision among process for FP10, who can shape technological, market & societal priorities, should be the norm, where we turn research into market impact. Innovative SMEs are integrated completely as part of the European value-chain, so let’s make our voices heard more.”
The spotlight on the 2026 Science|Business Annual Network Conference has dimmed its lights in Brussels, where the conference was held on February 4th and 5th in the splendid setting of the old Maritime Station, at a crucial time with negotiations around post-2027 R&I policies and instruments set to begin in earnest. Trust-IT Services’s Founder & CEO, Silvana Muscella, was invited to be part of the Conference's main programme and joined the panel “This House believes… that FP10 will require a new value proposition to keep industry and companies engaged” — a timely and necessary debate for the future of European R&I. The panel was moderated by Martin Greenacre, Technology Reporter, Science|Business and featured Martin Bunček, Managing Director, Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, Martin Nagelsmit, Chief Technology Officer, NLR - Netherlands Aerospace Centre and Marc Pauchard, President, Eureka Network.
Image: Panel session This House believes… that FP10 will require a new value proposition to keep industry and companies engaged” 5 February 2026 - photo credits Science|Business
The discussion raised critical questions for FP10: How do we ensure that industry and SMEs see lasting returns from EU-funded R&I projects? How do we avoid losing valuable results by continuously reinventing existing solutions? And how can large companies be meaningfully committed to providing long-term co-funding and market pull? The panel complemented the overall conference programme, in which European industry was repeatedly called to action to actively and concretely contribute to a collaborative and joint policy strategic vision under the next MFF.
From an SME perspective, the message is clear: engagement cannot be sustained without real adoption, continuity, and long-term value. SMEs form the backbone of the European economy and represent the vast majority of businesses operating across Europe. FP10 therefore has both an opportunity — and a responsibility — to reflect this reality by rethinking incentives, governance, and collaboration models, ensuring that innovation ecosystems are flexible by design, sustainable in practice, and genuinely focused on turning research outcomes into market and societal impact.
In 2025, Trust-IT became a member of the new magazine Science|Business Network, strengthening a collaboration that has been in place for several years, contributing actively to the dialogue between research, policy, and industry while bringing the SME perspective. On February 4th, Silvana Muscella joined the panel Preparing for new realities in R&I: How to tailor communications strategy? During the Network Symposium: Preparing For The MFF Negotiations, organised as a closed event for the S|B Network members only.
Image: opening of the Science|Business Annual Network Conference, 5 February 2026. Photo credits Science|Business
