Basic research “is heading for disaster,” university group warns as Commission confirms Competitiveness Fund will focus only on deployment
Photo credits: symbiot / BigStock
The European Commission has confirmed that all research and innovation funding will be channelled through Horizon Europe, with the planned European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) focusing exclusively on deployment, under its proposal for the post-2027 EU budget instruments.
“According to the Treaty [on the Functioning of the European Union], all research and innovation activities have to be funded through a Framework Programme,” Massimiliano Esposito, head of the strategic planning unit in the Commission’s research directorate general, said on September 23.
Speaking during a webinar hosted by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology Brussels office, Esposito was unequivocal: “The ECF cannot fund research and innovation. It is Horizon Europe that funds research and innovation activities…
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