Eurodoc welcomes Ursula von der Leyen’s announcement that “Our framework programme Horizon Europe will stay as a self-standing programme. It is an outstanding brand – the most renowned research programme worldwide.”
The announcement was made today during the Annual EU Budget Conference 2025 and is a first step in the right direction. It comes after the European Parliament (EP), the member states and the research community have all been calling for a standalone Framework Programme in the past months. In Eurodoc’s new statement on the MFF we underline the importance of a standalone Framework Program, an increased budget of 220 billion € and that this must be reflected in increased funding for the ERC and MSCA programmes.
Investment in the future should not and cannot come with hesitation at this moment. Crises come unannounced, as the Vice-President Nicolae Ştefănuță of the European Parliament stated during the Q&A of the Annual EU Budget Conference. We can nurture resilience by protecting the budget for basic research within all fields against erosion, by ensuring the continuation of successful tools such as the Widening programmes and the ERA forums. It is time to invest in our future by investing in research and higher education. This will be central for us to take the path towards a more integrated and resilient European Union, one where democracy and academic freedom are protected and promoted.
The “Eurodoc Statement on the Multi Financial Framework” can be found at Zenodo.
Read Ursula Von de Leyens full speech here:
Contact: Eurodoc Board board@eurodoc.net