ALLEA Provides Feedback to European Commission Consultation on Funding for Dual-use Projects

On 24 April, ALLEA responded to a public consultation by the European Commission, where different options are presented to enhance support for research on technologies that may have both civilian and military applications (i.e., dual-use technologies).

At present, European funding programmes for civil research and development projects and those with defence or security applications are strictly separated. However, to boost the EU’s (economic) security and competitiveness, the European Commission is currently exploring ways to promote cross-fertilisation between the two funding instruments.

In its response, ALLEA details how some of the proposed options pose the risk of creating adverse incentives, introducing ambiguity, and imposing additional administrative burdens. In addition, ALLEA stresses that equitable assessment of research proposals should remain central to any solution, and that support for projects with potential dual-use applications should not come at the expense of funding for civil research.

Read the full statement here.