Commission R&D department being reorganised

The European Commission’s top R&D official Jean-Eric Paquet has said he is reorganising its R&D directorate general to make it work more collaboratively and holistically.

The reorganisation “breaks down silos and should deliver more #science for EU policymaking”, Paquet said in a tweet on 19 January. He indicated that he was consulting with staff, saying: “Participatory work will continue so that we get the fine print right as well as the change of culture.”

Paquet told journalists that he was planning the reorganisation in March 2018, days before taking office on 1 April. He said at the time that he was planning to ask the department’s deputies to take on broader responsibilities. He also said he had been told that the research commissioner Carlos Moedas wanted closer cooperation with other departments on areas such as transport and the environment.