Event report

The session offered practical implications of the recovery plan on the social recovery of the EU, its increased preparedness and the resilience of its populations. Research and innovation is responding to the most urgent health, social and economic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have shared experiences of how hard COVID-19 has affected our lives and how difficult it is to recover from the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic: we agreed that this is an inclusive and collective effort. We acknowledge that only solid investments in high-level evidence-based R&I can enable us counter the effects of the pandemic and be prepared for future such events. We recognize that R&I already provides some of the concrete recommendations that policy makers need for: -the management of the mental wellbeing of individuals during and after the pandemic -for attenuating and overcoming socio-economic inequalities -and for improving the resilience of populations. At the same time, that we need to continue supporting these efforts to deliver the solutions that individuals and society are awaiting. We noted the strong engagement of citizens and civil society to help setting priorities for forthcoming R&I to: -contribute to the EU coordinated strategy for pandemic recovery and response -and address emerging wellbeing and socio-economic needs of the pandemic.