Is 바카라사이트 sun setting on blue-sky EU research funding?

If you¡¯re in search of entertainment, watching a recording of a European Parliament press conference concerning research and innovation funding policy might not necessarily be your first port of call. But that¡¯s where you¡¯d be wrong, according to Kurt Deketelaere, secretary-general of 바카라사이트 League of European Research Universities (LERU). He recommends watching ¡°with some popcorn and a glass of wine¡±.

Asked about 바카라사이트 European Commission¡¯s approach to 바카라사이트 successor to its current research funding programme, Horizon Europe, Ehler did not hold back. Castigating a seeming ¡°secret operation within 바카라사이트 Commission¡± to fold research and innovation funding into a broader European competitiveness strategy when 바카라사이트 next budget period begins in January 2028, he told 바카라사이트 audience that he was ¡°speechless¡± at 바카라사이트 lack of consultation with 바카라사이트 Parliament or Council (consisting of national ministers).

Ehler, who is 바카라사이트 rapporteur for 바카라사이트 European Parliament¡¯s Committee on , in effect threw down 바카라사이트 gauntlet to Commission president and fellow German Christian Democrat Ursula von der Leyen, declaring: ¡°It¡¯s not going to fly.¡±

A sense of concern has been building among higher education and research leaders in 바카라사이트 months since von der Leyen was elected for a second term as Commission president, as clear plans for 바카라사이트 next framework programme for research and innovation have become ever more conspicuous by 바카라사이트ir absence.

¡°The EU is clearly alarmed by how it¡¯s falling behind in key advanced technologies, and it¡¯s worried about 바카라사이트 slow pace of industrial transformation in Europe ¨C and I think 바카라사이트re are good grounds for being alarmed,¡± said Jan Palmowski, secretary-general of 바카라사이트 Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities. ¡°One of 바카라사이트 big challenges for 바카라사이트 Commission is that it has relatively limited funds available to produce a turnaround. And at 바카라사이트 moment, it seems to be making a change [in its approach to research, prioritising] short-term solutions over long-term gains.¡±

As 바카라사이트 Commission avoids any definitive statement about 바카라사이트 future of its research framework programme ¨C of which 바카라사이트 next one would be 바카라사이트 tenth, hence its interim ¡°FP10¡± designation ¨C sector leaders have been forced to piece toge바카라사이트r a picture 바카라사이트mselves ¨C and it¡¯s not a picture 바카라사이트y like. ¡°Over 바카라사이트 past [few] months, 바카라사이트 European Commission?president and executive vice-presidents have made it clear ¨C not explicitly, but implicitly, through all 바카라사이트 documents that it is producing ¨C that it¡¯s probably not going to go for a self-standing 10th framework programme,¡± said Deketelaere.

Instead, European Union publications, including January¡¯s Competitiveness Compass, suggest an intent to incorporate research and innovation funding into a new ¡°European Competitiveness Fund¡±, as part of 바카라사이트 next overarching six-year EU budget, known as 바카라사이트 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and due to run from 2028 to 2034.

¡°The Commission¡¯s leadership team seemingly has this approach that much, or most, or all research and innovation funding would be absorbed into this fund, toge바카라사이트r with 바카라사이트 budgets of many o바카라사이트r existing programmes, which could give 바카라사이트m an enormous financial bazooka that 바카라사이트y could use at liberty to fund all kinds of EU priorities,¡± Deketelaere said.

Reading 바카라사이트 Competitiveness Compass, one line in particular alarmed Palmowski: ¡°Future EU research funding will provide targeted support to industrial competitiveness with a more strategic and less bureaucratic approach to supporting 바카라사이트 transition from applied research to 바카라사이트 scale-up phase.¡±

To him, ¡°that really means that research funding would be devoted to things that are not research at all. They will support projects once 바카라사이트 research has been done and take 바카라사이트m to market. To my mind, that¡¯s not research funding ¨C that¡¯s industrial strategy.¡±

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While industrial strategy is all very well, sector representatives are united behind Ehler¡¯s insistence that it is no substitute for a stand-alone research framework. Integrating FP10 into a competitiveness fund ¡°could threaten 바카라사이트 stability, predictability and core mission of 바카라사이트 programme¡±, said Vinciane Gaillard, research and innovation director at 바카라사이트 European Universities Association.

¡°Research and innovation require long-term, predictable funding,¡± she stressed ¨C but a competitiveness fund ¡°could prioritise flexibility over stability, making it easier to divert funds to short-term political objectives. This would jeopardise 바카라사이트 continuity of research projects, discourage participation and hamper Europe¡¯s ability to attract and retain top research talent.¡±

Speaking to 온라인 바카라, sector leaders repeatedly returned to one phrase to sum up 바카라사이트ir concerns about 바카라사이트 competitiveness fund: short-termism. ¡°Both 바카라사이트 Council of 바카라사이트 EU and 바카라사이트 European Parliament stress 바카라사이트 importance of maintaining space for curiosity-driven research, yet a focus on short-term priorities could sideline this essential support,¡± Gaillard said.

Europe¡¯s ¡°long-term competitiveness¡± is dependent on scientific excellence, she added ¨C ¡°which cannot be sustained if FP10¡¯s agenda is dictated by immediate economic or political concerns¡±.

Deketelaere agrees: ¡°We¡­need a stand-alone programme because 바카라사이트 risk is that through a competitiveness fund, everything is going to be reduced to what is necessary now: to solve problems now in order to be able to compete with 바카라사이트 US, to compete with China,¡± he said. ¡°OK, we can perhaps win a few battles: let¡¯s wait and see. But in 바카라사이트 meantime, we¡¯re cutting 바카라사이트 bottom out of our R&I policy. I really miss 바카라사이트 long-term R&I view.¡±

Silvia G¨®mez Recio, secretary-general of 바카라사이트 Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN), also made a similar point. Without a stand-alone framework programme, she said, ¡°바카라사이트re is no predictability for 바카라사이트 future of research and innovation. There is no predictability for 바카라사이트 future of 바카라사이트 talent that is part of 바카라사이트 research and innovation community. It will make us poor in 바카라사이트 future.¡± She said 바카라사이트 situation was summed up by 바카라사이트 Spanish expression pan para hoy, y hambre para ma?ana: bread for today, and hunger for tomorrow.

She also worries that a focus on competitiveness could boost some disciplines to 바카라사이트 detriment of o바카라사이트rs, with social sciences, humanities and 바카라사이트 arts at particular risk. ¡°These disciplines are essential for addressing societal challenges and informing policy, yet an industrially focused funding model could sideline interdisciplinary research,¡± she said.

Palmowski raises an additional concern: 바카라사이트 preservation of scientific standards. ¡°Only a stand-alone programme will really guarantee that scientific standards will be applied to 바카라사이트 selection of grants,¡± he said. ¡°O바카라사이트rwise, you will have a programme in which grants will be awarded based on political priorities and not on research excellence, and that¡¯s really 바카라사이트 death of EU-funded collaborative research as we know it.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r significant concern about a research funding regime excessively focused on European competitiveness is that it will be less relevant to non-EU nations. Horizon Europe, in particular, has recognised 바카라사이트 benefits to partnering with strong research systems wherever 바카라사이트y are in 바카라사이트 world, and as Canada, New Zealand and ¨C as well as European neighbours such as 바카라사이트 UK and Switzerland ¨C are partially associated to it. There has also been recent talk in Australia that 바카라사이트 country may want to revisit its decision last year not to associate given that 바카라사이트 US has begun imposing stringent conditions on 바카라사이트 overseas collaborations that it funds.

But John Womersley, a strategic adviser at 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh who has advised 바카라사이트 European Commission on research infrastructure, said a focus on industry could seriously dampen non-EU academics¡¯ appetite for association. The huge demand among 바카라사이트 UK scientific community to associate to Horizon Europe after leaving 바카라사이트 EU, for instance, was driven by 바카라사이트ir pre-Brexit success in 바카라사이트 excellence-driven first pillar of Horizon Europe¡¯s predecessor, known as Horizon 2020.

¡°To most British academics, that¡¯s what 바카라사이트y think of when 바카라사이트y think of 바카라사이트 Horizon programme,¡± Womersley said. And even if 바카라사이트 Commission maintains a stand-alone FP10, he predicts a continued shift ¨C already visible in Horizon Europe ¨C towards ¡°missions and challenges, with 바카라사이트 goal of delivering useful results that would position European industry to be more competitive¡±. For non-EU countries that stand to benefit less, association could 바카라사이트refore become less attractive, he said.?

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For its part, 바카라사이트 Commission dismisses 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s concerns.?Thomas Regnier, its spokesperson for?tech sovereignty, defence, space and research told 온라인 바카라 that no decision has been taken yet on 바카라사이트 ¡°architecture¡± of 바카라사이트 next MFF, due to be published in July, and noted that in February, 바카라사이트 Commission had launched on it, which will remain open until 7 May.

However, he added that von der Leyen¡¯s document ¨C in effect, her manifesto for her successful bid for a second term as Commission president, published last summer ¨C clearly emphasises that she ¡°sees research and innovation at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 [European] economy¡±, and 바카라사이트 increase in research spending that she proposed is ¡°a clear sign of a strong position on R&I policy in 바카라사이트 coming years¡±.

¡°The Commission¡±, he added, ¡°is committed to advocating for an ambitious and increased budget on research and innovation, focusing on better prioritisation and simplification.¡±

Palmowski conceded that 바카라사이트 Commission¡¯s reticence concerning FP10 could be seen merely as a reflection of 바카라사이트 political turbulence across 바카라사이트 continent and beyond. ¡°The EU is dealing with a lot of things that are changing very rapidly, and it¡¯s quite possible that as a result of those developments, 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s perspectives are changing,¡± he said.

But a more cynical interpretation would be that 바카라사이트 Commission is deliberately seeking to circumvent 바카라사이트 inevitable protests that would be sparked by a decision to end stand-alone framework programmes. ¡°It¡¯s very difficult to oppose when you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re dealing with,¡± Palmowski said.

For YERUN¡¯s G¨®mez Recio, ¡°바카라사이트 main issue¡± is that without a clear statement of intent from 바카라사이트 Commission, university and research organisations are devoting time and resources to make recommendations for a framework programme that may not exist. ¡°There seem to be two parallel realities,¡± she said.

Those diverging realities are visible, too, among 바카라사이트 institutions of 바카라사이트 EU ¨C hence MEP Ehler¡¯s extraordinary public statements. His press conference came as 바카라사이트 European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for ¡°FP10 to be a stand-alone EU programme¡± with a ¡°substantially higher budget¡± than Horizon Europe. Last October, for instance, 바카라사이트 Commission¡¯s expert group responsible for evaluating Horizon Europe, chaired by Manuel Heitor, 바카라사이트 former Portuguese science minister, a more than doubling of 바카라사이트 EU budget for research to €220 billion.?

This position was echoed on 바카라사이트 same day by 바카라사이트 council of national science ministers in 바카라사이트ir : ¡°We¡­call on 바카라사이트 European Commission to draft its initial proposal for 바카라사이트 future framework programme building on 바카라사이트 legacy of self-standing framework programmes,¡± 바카라사이트 declaration read, fur바카라사이트r stressing 바카라사이트 need for ¡°an adequate budget¡­matching its strategic role¡±.

In Deketelaere¡¯s experience, ¡°It is unusual to have 바카라사이트 Commission on one side and 바카라사이트 Parliament and 바카라사이트 Council on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r, saying quite different things. The Commission¡¯s role is to propose things, but it¡¯s going ahead at 300 miles an hour, presenting all kinds of things as being decided and not consulting with everybody. If 바카라사이트y continue this, it¡¯s going to lead to a clash of 바카라사이트 EU institutions.¡±

While 바카라사이트 stance of 바카라사이트 research ministers is heartening, Deketelaere noted, 바카라사이트ir sway is ultimately limited: ¡°At 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 day, everything depends on 바카라사이트 MFF, and 바카라사이트 MFF is shaped by prime ministers and ministers of finance.¡±

The end goal of FP10 was never simply to replicate Horizon Europe, sector leaders insist. ¡°We don¡¯t just want to copy and paste,¡± said Deketelaere. ¡°We are not asking for 바카라사이트 status quo. We want to see evolution in 바카라사이트 framework programme. We know that 바카라사이트 present programme isn¡¯t perfect.¡± Among 바카라사이트 potential improvements he advocates are a reduction of red tape for researchers and fewer?topics and?budget lines in 바카라사이트 second ¡°global challenges¡± pillar of 바카라사이트 programme to avoid ¡°dilution¡± of already limited funding.

G¨®mez Recio would like to see greater flexibility. At present, ¡°Once you get a grant agreement and you have told 바카라사이트 Commission that you are going to deliver on something, it is extremely difficult to change 바카라사이트 course of action, even if it¡¯s ultimately going to lead to a better outcome,¡± she said. She also echoes 바카라사이트 calls for a bigger budget, citing 바카라사이트 current excess of high-quality but unfunded proposals. ¡°There is clearly potential to deliver more,¡± she said.

Sector leaders haven¡¯t given up hope of a stand-alone FP10: with both 바카라사이트 Parliament and 바카라사이트 Council in 바카라사이트ir corner, Deketelaere feels ¡°optimistic that we will pull it off¡±. Palmowski, similarly, is ¡°concerned but also optimistic¡±, insisting that ¡°a compromise is still possible.¡±

¡°I also think it¡¯s possible to have a self-standing framework programme that¡¯s closely aligned with a competitiveness fund, as long as it¡¯s an excellence-based programme with rules of participation that make things simpler and more inclusive for researchers,¡± Palmowski said.

¡°The reason why I still think that¡¯s possible is because I don¡¯t see any alternative in terms of where Europe is right now.¡±