The Insider, Season 2, Episode 8

“From Wall Street to Science|Business: Richard Hudson on the Past, Present and Future of R&I”

Research and innovation policy rarely develops in isolation. It evolves alongside markets, institutions, and the broader geopolitical environment shaping how knowledge, technology and investment move across borders.

In this episode of The Insider,, host Ricardo Miguéis (Head of the INESC Brussels HUB) speaks with Richard Hudson, co-founder of Science|Business and one of the most experienced observers of Europe’s research and innovation ecosystem.

Before launching Science|Business in 2004, Hudson spent 25 years at the Wall Street Journal, including as Managing Editor of its European edition. Since then, he has helped build one of the most influential platforms connecting universities, companies and policymakers across Europe’s R&I landscape.

Drawing on that experience, the conversation reflects on four decades of watching European research policy evolve; from the early days of the Framework Programmes to today’s increasingly complex geopolitical context.

Part 1 - Institutions, ecosystems and the evolution of European R&I

The first part of the conversation explores the long arc of Europe’s research and innovation system.

Hudson reflects on the early years of the Framework Programmes, when European collaboration in research was still a relatively new experiment. Over time, these programmes grew into one of the EU’s most distinctive policy instruments (bringing together universities, industry and governments around shared technological challenges).

The discussion also revisits the origins of Science|Business itself. What began as a journalism project evolved into a network connecting three communities that often struggle to speak the same language: researchers, policymakers and industry leaders.

This perspective offers a unique lens on how innovation ecosystems actually function; not only through funding instruments and policy frameworks, but through relationships, trust and shared spaces where ideas and partnerships can emerge.

Part 2 - Geopolitics, trust and the future of global research cooperation

The second part of the episode turns to the present moment, where the context surrounding research and innovation is becoming increasingly shaped by geopolitical dynamics.

From technological competition to debates about strategic autonomy, the environment in which science operates is shifting. Questions about trust, international collaboration and the balance between openness and security are becoming central to research policy discussions.

Hudson reflects on what these changes might mean for Europe’s role in the global research system. As alliances evolve and scientific cooperation becomes more complex, the challenge is not only about funding or programmes, but about maintaining the networks and communities that make international collaboration possible in the first place.

Across the conversation, one idea stands out: science progresses not only through discovery, but through the connections that allow knowledge, talent and investment to circulate.

In a more fragmented world, those connections may be more important than ever.

Listen to Episode 8: “From Wall Street to Science|Business: Richard Hudson on the Past, Present and Future of R&I” on The Insider.