European Academies call for Excellence, Fairness and Openness in the Implementation of Horizon Europe

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ALLEA submitted a statement to the European Commission calling for a strong and well-resourced framework programme guided by principles of excellence, fairness and openness, and making concrete suggestions on their implementation in the current draft of the Commission’s Strategic Plan on Horizon Europe.

Within the frame of open consultations on the EU’s next Research and Innovation Framework Programme Horizon Europe, ALLEA, through its Working Group Horizon Europe, has produced the statement “Delivering Horizon Europe”. Considering the European Commission’s Orientations towards the Strategic Plan implementing the research and innovation framework programme Horizon Europe as well as discussions during the recent Research and Innovation Days, ALLEA reiterates its priorities and provides concrete suggestions for amendments to the programme.

In order to achieve better conditions for research and innovation in the EU in the coming decades, and to position European research successfully in a competitive global environment, ALLEA believes it is of vital importance to consider the following points in the implementation process of Horizon Europe:

  • Focus on funding excellence and ‘blue sky thinking’ through successful instruments like the European Research Council (ERC);
  • Continue and intensify support for research mobility through programmes like Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) or ERASMUS;
  • Arrange for fair and equal distribution of funds on the different clusters of Pillar 2 “Global Challenges and Industrial Competitiveness” in Horizon Europe;
  • Follow a broad understanding of innovation which goes beyond technological innovation and hence supports interdisciplinarity, and which recognizes the value of humanities and social sciences in a less technocratic and instrumental way;
  • Establish an independent, critical and continuous assessment of “Missions” in Horizon Europe;
  • Continue “Institutional Partnerships” from Horizon 2020;
  • Ensure Horizon Europe is ‘open to the world’ and allows for broad participation of Associated Countries.