R&I in the next EU budget: investing in Europe’s prosperity and competitiveness

Organisers 

CESAER and partners through the Informal Group of Universities’ Networks. Under the auspices of Member of European Parliament Carla Tavares, co-rapporteur on the next EU long-term budget (MFF 2028–2034).

Date, time & location

Monday 20 April 2026 from 11:00 to 12:30 at the European Parliament, Room Spinelli A3H1

• In-person participation: Attendance in person is only for registered participants and is by invitation only.
• Online participation: The event will be livestreamed, with online participation fully open via the link below.
  

Online connection details

Join from the meeting link

https://europarl.webex.com/europarl/j.php?MTID=ma4...

Join by meeting number

Meeting number (access code): 2790 526 6706

Meeting password: T245rWp9hJy 

Purpose of the event

This event places research and innovation at the centre of the discussion on Europe’s future priorities and investments. It moves beyond a narrow budgetary debate and instead addresses a strategic question: what must Europe invest if it is serious about delivering on its ambitions?

In this context, the event will examine the case for approximately €220 billion for FP10 as a credible and politically coherent baseline for a European Union seeking to strengthen its competitiveness, prosperity and resilience, as reflected in the draft reports on FP10 by the European Parliament.

The discussion is intended to explore how research and innovation should be understood not as policy silos, but as a foundational capability underpinning progress across Europe’s key priorities.

A strong FP10 would therefore be about far more than research policy alone. It would speak to Europe’s capacity to drive economic strength, industrial renewal, security, preparedness, sustainability, public health, digital leadership and societal well-being.

#Researchmatters

This event builds on the efforts of the Research Matters campaign, where CESAER was a partner: https://research-matters.eu/

Format

The event is a high-level, invitation-only policy discussion aimed primarily at Members of the European Parliament and their advisers, representatives of the European Commission, Member State representatives, selected stakeholders from research and innovation, industry representatives, and specialised media.

The format is political and strategic rather than technical. It is designed to engage broader political and budgetary audiences and to demonstrate that investment in research and innovation is central to Europe’s wider agenda.

To support this objective, the programme features a mixed panel bringing together political leaders, institutional voices and stakeholder representatives. This approach is intended to enable a dynamic and substantive discussion, while reflecting the cross-cutting role of research and innovation across policy domains.

Programme

All times below are local time Brussels.

11:00 – 11:15 Welcome and opening

• Carla Tavares, Member of European Parliament, co-rapporteur on the next MFF

11:15 – 11:30 Keynote address: why Europe’s future depends on stronger investment in research and innovation 

• Manuel Heitor, Professor at the Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon; CESAER Envoy 2023–2025; Chair of European Commission expert group on the future of Horizon Europe which concluded with the publication of the Align, Act, Accelerate report.

11:30 – 12:15 High-level mixed panel: why FP10 matters for Europe’s competitiveness, prosperity and resilience

• Moderator: Silvia Gómez Recio, Secretary General, YERUN

Panelists:

• Bertrand Bouchet, CEA Representative in Brussels; CEA is a member of European Association of Research and Technology Organisations (EARTO) 
• Lina Galvez, Member of the European Parliament
• Magnus Madfors, Vice President, Head of Standard & Industry Initiatives Europe & Africa Group Function Technology, Ericsson
• Luc Sels, President of Leiden University
• Carla Tavares, Member of European Parliament, co-rapporteur on the next MFF

12:15 – 12:30 Closing

• René Repasi, Member of European Parliament
• Hélder Sousa Silva, Member of European Parliament

Contact

For more information, please contact the CESAER Secretariat.