Mariya Gabriel Met with Bill Gates

"Thank you Bill Gates for the excellent discussion on how we can collaborate better & w/ increased budget on common R&I priorities", Mariya Gabriel wrote in a tweet.

The two have met in the European Commission and discussed how cooperation on common research and development priorities for global health and clean energy  could be deepened.

Specific focus in the talks was co-financing for clinical trials of medicinal products to deal with infectious diseases, mainly affecting sub-Saharan Africa. During the meeting, it became clear that flexibility was needed in funding strategic research on poverty-related diseases. Commissioner Gabriel noted that the European Commission sees this partnership in the context of the Global Health Partnership with Member States and African countries and could be part of the future Horizon Europe program. The two also discussed the importance of the research and innovation budget, which is essential for the implementation of the green deal, as well as the opportunities offered by this partnership. The Bill Gates Foundation intends to increase its portion of the budget by $ 20 billion a year.

"We need to develop closer collaboration between multiple players on the investment front to turn political priorities into investment strategies. It is essential to have breakthrough innovations for the benefit of companies, our citizens and respond to the challenges of climate and energy, "said Bulgarian Commissioner Mariya Gabriel.