EUA has joined efforts again with more than a dozen European organisations to call for an ambitious Horizon Europe budget that would invest in excellent, cross-border research and innovation (R&I). This investment is essential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and to build a prosperous future for European society.
The 15 associations call on the EU Institutions and national policy makers to strengthen R&I investment at European level. They urge them to raise the budget of the next EU Programme for R&I (2021-2027), Horizon Europe, to at least €120 billion. Even though a greater amount would be needed to solve the big challenges mentioned above and match the programme’s ambitions, this commitment would give the right signal to boost public and private R&I investment in Europe.
The joint effort must be reinforced to achieve the transformation that Europe needs, in order to build a prosperous, safe, inclusive and sustainable future for the next generations. The EU Leaders have recognised this necessity during the Sibiu Summit, committing to stay united and build a Union fit for the future with the means to match these ambitions.
The call is open to receive support by organisations at national and European levels. We believe that the more organisations and institutions would adhere to these principles, the more likely our leaders at EU-level and in national contexts will be in a strong position to promote a higher budget for R&I.
EUA highly encourages its members to sign the Call and to further disseminate it in their community of contacts, along with other materials, to gather as many supporting organisations as possible to achieve an adequate budget for research, innovation, and education.
Should your organisation be willing to support publicly the Call, please contact [email protected] indicating your organisation’s name and a contact person. Your organisation’s name will be then added to a list of signatories that will be made public early in September.
This communication was first published 24 July 2019 by the European University Association.
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