Horizon Europe and the European Competitiveness Fund: universities and research institutes urge member states to build on Parliament’s momentum

At a key moment in negotiations, ahead of the Council of the EU’s Competitiveness Council meeting of 28–29 May and the General Affairs Council on 16 June, the signatories welcome the momentum created by the European Parliament’s recent work on the 2028-2034 Horizon Europe programme, the EU’s tenth such programme (FP10), and the ECF. The statement urges the Council to build on this progress and avoid prolonged divergence between the positions of the main EU institutions that could create uncertainty for researchers, universities, companies and innovation ecosystems across Europe.

EUA, CESAER, the Coimbra Group, EU-LIFE, The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, the League of European Research Universities (LERU) and the Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN) stress that Europe needs an ambitious and predictable investment framework that strengthens excellent research and innovation, supports talent and skills and enables the translation of knowledge into societal and economic impact.

The joint statement highlights the importance of ensuring a strong and operational interface between FP10 and the ECF. The two programmes should remain autonomous but connected, with complementary roles that support the full journey from knowledge creation to innovation uptake and impact, while avoiding duplication and unnecessary complexity for beneficiaries.

The statement also underlines the importance of governance and implementation mechanisms that are agile, expert-informed and capable of responding to rapid technological, societal and geopolitical change. In this context, the signatories call for strong involvement of independent experts in the implementation of both programmes and stress the importance of maintaining international scientific collaboration, including the swift association of close partners such as Switzerland and the United Kingdom to FP10.

Download the joint statement

“The coming weeks will be decisive for Europe’s future research and innovation landscape,” said EUA Secretary General Amanda Crowfoot. “Member states now have an opportunity to build on the progress achieved in the European Parliament and help shape a funding architecture that is coherent, agile and capable of strengthening Europe’s long-term competitiveness and prosperity. Universities and research institutes stand ready to contribute constructively to this process.”

The statement builds on earlier joint contributions by the signatories on FP10 and the European Competitiveness Fund, including proposed amendments to the FP10 legal texts and recommendations on the design of the interface between Horizon Europe and the ECF.