As the EU prepares its next Multiannual Financial Framework, several European and national university networks have written an open letter to leaders of key European institutions.

In the letter, the signatories, including EUA President Josep M. Garrell, stress that the next EU Research and Innovation Framework Programme (FP10) must uphold the excellence principle, support breakthrough research across the entire R&I continuum and maintain researcher autonomy. To do so, they put forward that FP10 must remain a stand-alone, excellence-driven research and innovation programme with a substantially increased and ring-fenced budget. They also warn that Europe’s scientific leadership, competitiveness and societal progress depend on securing a well-funded FP10 and call for expanded international collaboration to reinforce partnerships with key global allies.

With the upcoming informal meeting of EU ministers for research and innovation on 10–11 March, where the Warsaw Declaration on FP10 is set to be announced, the letter emphasises the urgency of securing a stand-alone programme amidst growing concerns over the potential integration of FP10 into the proposed European Competitiveness Fund. As the European R&I community remains deeply concerned about the implications of these plans, the letter serves as a timely call for EU institutions to reaffirm their commitment to a programme that prioritises excellence, independence and the long-term advancement of Europe’s research and innovation capabilities. As such, the letter is also open for public endorsement by the leaders of national rectors’ conferences and individual universities across Europe.

The statement also echoes EUA’s own vision for FP10, which outlines the Association’s key recommendations for the programme, with the ambition of placing R&I at the forefront of societal and scientific progress.

 

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