Open Science in an Era of Techno-Nationalism and Intellectual Monopolies – A European Dilemma

The Draghi report, published in September 2024, was meant as a wake-up call for the EU (Draghi, 2024). According to the report, if Europe does not make major changes to its current strategy, it will stagnate and disintegrate. The report shows that income per capita has grown more in the U.S. than in Europe, in the years after the Great Financial Crisis, and that the productivity gap reflects differences in technological capabilities in the digital area. The paper reflects upon how the EU can safeguard its historical commitment to “open science” while engaging in a strategy of catching up with the U.S. and China in digital technologies. It concludes that the principles of open science are valuable for the progress of knowledge and that openness is crucial for tackling planetary crises. But to preserve these, Europe needs to restructure its industry and build digital domestic enterprises to become advanced users of science.