EU Research & Innovation Programmes

Investing in research and innovation is investing in a sustainable and inclusive future. The EU’s aspirations to foster resilience and accelerate the green and digital transitions, as well as strengthen the European Research Area through research and innovation, have never been higher. The design and implementation of EU research and innovation programmes are crucial to deliver on those ambitions.

EUA is a recognised stakeholder in the development of the EU framework programmes for research and innovation. The Association pays close attention to these strategic programmes, gathering feedback from university members across the continent, providing input to policy makers and campaigning for the recognition of its vision and recommendations.

Currently, EUA is monitoring and evaluating the implementation of Horizon Europe, in particular the work of the European Research Council, the European Innovation Council, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and the implementation of missions and partnerships. It is also monitoring the programme in relation to impactful simplification, the concrete implementation of synergies across EU funding programmes as well as alignment among funding organisations at both EU and national level. The Association is also preparing its input for the next R&I framework programme (FP10), through a new task and finish group. Finally, EUA monitors the implementation of other EU programmes that support research and innovation, notably the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the Digital Europe Programme and the European Regional Development Fund.

During a previous campaign, EUA participated in all major European-level dialogues as the Horizon Europe programme took shape. The Association provided detailed input on how to best design the programme structure and the rules for participation. Its recommendations paved the way for an excellent, open and inclusive Horizon Europe. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, EUA called for adequate funding for the programme, to strengthen the strategic resilience of Europe, reinforce its knowledge base, support innovation ecosystems and address the challenge of underfunding. The Association also successfully campaigned for an acceptable internal balance within the Horizon Europe programme, preserving the importance of funding to fundamental research. More recently, EUA outlined a series of recommendations aiming to improve Horizon Europe and contribute to the design of the programme that will succeed it.

EUA’s work in this area was notably informed by the findings of a consultation of the Association’s members for the mid-term review of Horizon 2020, the resulting vision paper and campaign for “EU funding for universities” and simplification. In addition to the new task and finish group, the Association continues to contribute to this topic through its ongoing work on Open Science, Innovation Ecosystems, and input from the EUA Research and Innovation Strategy Group.

Keywords

Positions

  • View more 06 Jul 2022

    EUA response to the European Commission’s New European Innovation Agenda

    The European University Association welcomes the European Commission’s Communication on A New European Innovation Agenda, notably as an overarching innovation agenda is needed to tackle specific bottlenecks which stunt Europe’s innovation performance, and to achieve consistency and effective implementation of the various tools available for this purpose.

  • View more 15 Mar 2022

    A university vision for the European Green Deal

    A European Green Deal that achieves its purpose must be science-driven, with suitable mechanisms for the provision of scientific advice and the boosting of scientific literacy among citizens and policy makers.

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