On 16 October 2024, the High Level Expert Group presented its report, "Align, Act, Accelerate – Research, Technology, and Innovation to Boost European Competitiveness". This report provides strategic recommendations on maximising the future impact of EU Research and Innovation programmes. It is primarily based on preliminary data from Horizon Europe and conclusions from the ex-post evaluation of Horizon 2020.
Eurodoc and MCAA welcome the report's recommendations and wish to highlight several pivotal aspects. While increasing the overall budget to €220 billion is crucial, it is equally important to ringfence both the total budget and specific funding for the ERC and MSCA programmes to protect and promote fundamental research and researchers. In addition, FP10 must take decisive action to address the urgent issues of researcher precarity and problematic working conditions.
Other key aspects include the call to modernise research assessment practices in line with COARA principles and the need to simplify funding application procedures. However, it is concerning that the report overlooks the highly effective COST programme, which should be continued in FP10.
Lastly, with the increasing focus on research security, it is essential to prioritise the security of researchers, alongside the right to science and the principles of Open Science.
Read the full statement here: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13944737