Clamour grows for R&D budget to be increased in the face of cuts elsewhere

Industry bodies, research groups and leading scientists from across Europe have launched calls for the proposal to increase spending on R&D - from €50 billion in Framework Programme 7 to €80 billion in Horizon 2020 - to be ring-fenced, as member states increase demands for the EU’s proposed overall budget of €1.025 trillion for 2014 – 2020 to be cut back.

Negotiations over cuts in the overall Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) will play out in the EU Summit from 22 – 23 November, but ahead of the horse-trading and pork-barrelling expected at that meeting, a Europe-wide R&D lobby has been reacting to proposals from the Cypriot EU presidency for a reduction of at least €50 billion to MFF.

The Cypriots said the €50 billion cut is just starting point and that “more sizeable reductions are needed in order to reach a compromise”. This compromise will not only involve the size of the overall budget, but also requires the Rubik’s cube of competing demands from member states to maintain/cut/boost funding for programmes ranging from the Common Agriculture Programme, to territorial cohesion, security and the budget for running the European Commission, to be brought into alignment.

It’s not clear as yet, exactly what this will mean for Horizon 2020, but the general – gloomy – expectation is that the proposed €80 billion budget will not be approved.

A Nobel cause

The lobbying for Horizon 2020 began in earnest on 23 October when a letter signed by 54 Nobel laureates and five Fields Medallists was published in national newspapers across the continent. On the same day, an on-line petition was launched by young researchers. It has since gathered more than 110, 000 signatures.

Following this, John Higgins, Director-General of the industry group Digital Europe wrote to member state finance ministers to express serious concerns about negotiations on the MFF budget and its possible effects on Horizon 2020, saying “I urge you to strongly support the €80 billion budget for Horizon 2020 as proposed by the European Commission during the financial negotiations. Any reduction to the proposed budget would have a significant, negative socio-economic impact.”

Higgins claimed sustained and adequate levels of funding in R&D over the last decades have enabled industry to successfully address Europe’s social challenges, while delivering economic growth and jobs. However, he noted, current EU investment in research and innovation is lagging behind that of the US and Japan, and risks being overtaken by emerging economies such as China.

Both private and public sectors must help to reverse this trend, Higgins said. “Horizon 2020 is a crucial instrument to achieve this, and we believe that the next Framework Programme, if sufficiently funded, would greatly contribute to the economic recovery of the EU through the co-financing of innovative projects.”

More Europe

There was a similar call from the European Association of National Research Facilities (ERF), a body representing major national research infrastructures which provide open access to over 20,000 European and international researchers who use the facilities every year.

ERF says the present financial crisis requires “more Europe” enabling a stronger response, through research and innovation, to the global challenges the EU is facing. This calls for common, shared efforts by member states and the European Council to meet and maintain the priorities defined Horizon 2020.

Research, in common with the banking and financial systems, is a major area where “more Europe” will be a strategic asset, ERF claims, noting that research infrastructures are a main pillar of a shared European research structure.

Maintain momentum

“Research and innovation are the basis for the competitive capability of Europe. A proven strong correlation exists between investment in research, economic growth and competitiveness,” the ERF says in an open letter to all those involved in negotiating the MFF.

Previous EU funding has underpinned the full, joint use of much larger investments made by member states in research and associated infrastructures. “This funding has an excellent track record in results and cost-effectiveness. It should be maintained and increased as a top priority for Europe, to avoid losing momentum and previous investments,” the letter says.

Strong synergies between Framework Programmes and the Structural Funds have been built around research infrastructures, and with all countries working together for the opening and common development of facilities for international use. “This common effort needs an increased support in the Horizon 2020 Framework, which is only possible if Horizon 2020 is fully funded,” ERF says.