The coming months will be decisive for the future of EU research and innovation policy and funding, as Member States and the European Parliament define their negotiation positions. The Nordic Rectors’ Conferences call for more ambitious research and innovation funding and a stronger role for scientific excellence in the upcoming financial framework.
The Nordic Rectors’ Conferences welcome the fact that the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union have placed education, research and innovation at the center of strengthening the European Union’s future competitiveness. In their joint statement, the rectors’ conferences of Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden present their views for the preparation of the next EU framework programme for research and innovation, Horizon Europe 2028–2034, as well as the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF).
– Nordic higher education institutions are now speaking with one voice calling for European research and innovation system based on excellence, openness, and adequate funding. Finnish organisations have performed well in the current EU research and innovation framework programme, from which universities have secured 42 percent of the funding allocated to Finland. However, success in the highly competitive EU funding requires that the national level of expertise, science, and research and innovation activities is high, says Heikki Holopainen, Executive Director of Unifi.
The funding framework must strengthen excellence in research and innovation
The rectors’ conferences emphasize that Europe needs an ambitious and predictable funding framework that enhances excellence of research and innovation, attracts talent, and supports societal and economic impact.
They stress that the future Horizon Europe programme must remain the EU’s key instrument for high-quality, open, and researcher-driven research as well as early-stage innovation. Its independence must also be safeguarded in relation to the new European Competitiveness Fund. While the rectors’ conferences support the establishment of the Competitiveness Fund, they underline that the programmes should be complementary rather than overlapping. A clear and operational interface is needed between them to enable a seamless continuum from basic research to application and commercialization.
The rectors’ conferences also remind that national investments in research and innovation must be secured. They support the implementation of the European Research Area (ERA) and the objective that, alongside EU-level funding, Member States should increase their own investments and allocate at least 3 percent of GDP to research and development.
Arctic research as a strategic priority
The Nordic rectors’ conferences highlight the strategic importance of Arctic research in the EU. The Arctic region both reflects global changes and is affected by their impacts. The rectors’ conferences propose that a dedicated Arctic Partnership be established within the future Horizon Europe programme to support strong, interdisciplinary Arctic research and innovation and to generate knowledge and solutions for both regional and global challenges.
The joint position has been prepared between the rectors’ conferences of Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Together they represent more than one hundred higher education institutions in the Nordic countries.
Read the joint position paper here.
Further information: Janika Luukinen, Adviser, Science and RDI Policy, Unifi, p. 050 430 4478