03 Nov 2026
Commission President speaks on importance and challenges of European R&I in keynote speech at Win Win Brussels Summit
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gave a keynote speech at the Win Win Brussels Summit 2026, which took place on 3 November 2026. This annual event brings together Europe's most impactful founders, funders and political leaders to take stock, energise & inspire. In her opening keynote, the President presented her vision for making Europe the best place to build, invest and scale.
Ursula von der Leyen stated that "Europe has always been a continent of great ideas", recalling the 1927 Solvay Conference; Albert Einstein, Maria Skłodowska-Curie, Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrödinger, and stressed that Europe is still one of the world's leading places for research and innovation. The challenge for Europe, according to the Commission President, lies in turning scientific breakthroughs quickly into successful enterprises: "We must not only remain the place of great scientific discoveries. We must again be the place where those discoveries create new industries. Create good and sustainable jobs for the European people. This is what will determine our competitiveness and our future prosperity". Ms. von der Leyen named three priorities for making this happen: unlocking the scale of Europe's Single Market; capitalising on the opportunity of the clean transition; and harnessing AI to bring benefits across Europe's economies.
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Keynote speech by President von der Leyen at the WinWin Brussels Summit (check against delivery)