CESAER, the strong and united voice of universities of science and technology in Europe, welcomes the complementary reports published today by Members of the European Parliament Christian Ehler and René Repasi on Horizon Europe, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation for the period 2028–2034, commonly referred to as FP10.
The reports provide an ambitious and credible starting point for the European Parliament. They move in the right direction by seeking to safeguard FP10 as a strong and autonomous framework programme, clarify its relationship with the proposed European Competitiveness Fund, strengthen expert-led governance and implementation, reinforce the autonomy of the European Research Council and the European Innovation Council, and protect excellence, openness and talent as core organising principles.
These are priorities that CESAER and its partners have consistently advanced in recent months, including through joint FP10 amendments published on 1 December 2025 and the joint statement on the ECF–FP10 interface published on 25 February 2026.
Taken together, the European Parliament reports published on 13 March point towards a European funding architecture better equipped to connect frontier research, collaborative research and innovation, and the accelerated development and deployment of advanced technologies.
Orla Feely, President of CESAER and President of University College Dublin, said:
“These reports start from the right premise: Europe needs an FP10 that is strong, autonomous and firmly anchored in excellence. That is essential if the framework programme is to continue setting the global benchmark for research and innovation funding at continental scale. FP10 must work in complementarity with the European Competitiveness Fund while maintaining the autonomy needed to fulfil its mission effectively. Parliament is right to push for clearer safeguards, stronger autonomy and a more credible governance model.”
Tim Bedford, Vice President of CESAER and Associate Principal for Research and Innovation at the University of Strathclyde, said:
“Europe needs greater speed and stronger delivery, but speed only matters if the system is designed well. It is therefore very welcome that the European Parliament has engaged deeply with key stakeholders on how FP10 and the European Competitiveness Fund should relate to one another in practice. Frontier research and technological innovation do not sit downstream of industrial policy; they are among the conditions that make a strong industrial policy possible. Two autonomous programmes with distinct mandates and well-designed interfaces are the right direction for Europe.”
Katharina Füglister, Vice President of CESAER and Director of International Affairs at EPFL, said:
“It is especially encouraging to see Parliament move to strengthen the autonomy of both the ERC and the EIC. These instruments are globally respected because they are excellence-driven, expert-led and trusted by outstanding researchers and innovators. Europe should build on those strengths, not weaken them. It is equally positive to see openness reaffirmed as the starting point for participation, because openness towards all of Europe and beyond, combined with appropriate safeguards, remains a major source of Europe’s scientific and technological strength.”
Ena Voûte, Vice President of CESAER and Pro Vice Rector of International Affairs at TU Delft, said:
“Public authorities have the democratic legitimacy to set strategic priorities and budgets. But if Europe wants implementation at the cutting edge of science and advanced technologies, the day-to-day execution of research and innovation must be driven by experts. That is why Parliament’s push for more expert-led implementation, including in Pillar II, matters so much. The same logic should guide simplification: meaningful simplification is what reduces friction for beneficiaries and increases predictability, thereby enabling excellent performers to deliver at the highest quality and speed.”
Mattias Björnmalm, Secretary General of CESAER, said:
“These reports provide a strong starting point for Parliament. Not everything is perfect, and some elements will need to be improved during the legislative process, but the overall direction is very encouraging. It is particularly welcome to see such strong convergence with the proposals advanced by CESAER and key partners, including through our joint FP10 amendments and joint statement on the FP10–ECF interface. The next step is now clear: the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission must work together with urgency. As Draghi, Letta, Heitor and Niinistö have all made clear, the status quo is not an option, and Parliament has now set out the right direction of travel.”
CESAER and its partners have engaged closely with the European Parliament throughout the preparation of these reports, and we stand ready to continue supporting the co-legislators as efforts progress.
As the legislative process advances, the priority must now be to build on what works, strengthen what is needed, and move forward swiftly. A strong and clearly focused FP10 will be essential to Europe’s efforts to close its innovation gap with the world’s leading innovation systems, strengthen prosperity and security, and reinforce its capacity for global leadership in advanced science and technologies. Achieving this requires backing excellence, empowering experts, supporting talent, and building a funding architecture in which autonomous programmes with clear mandates work together effectively across the full research & innovation journey.
For more information please contact the CESAER Secretariat.
Alain Rolland. Copyright: © European Union 2025
Joint statement dated 25 February 2026 - Designing the European Competitiveness Fund: Key elements and the FP10–ECF interface
Speech by CESAER Envoy 2023–2025 and Commission high-level expert group Chair Manuel Heitor in European Parliament on 26 February 2026 - Revisiting the Haldane Principle for FP10: Governing European research by scientists and innovators
Joint amendments dated 1 December 2025 - Shared vision, unified voice: universities and research institutes in Europe propose joint FP10 amendments
CESAER position dated 16 May 2024 - Competitiveness, reindustrialisation and strategic autonomy through leadership in science & technology
Joint statement with industry partners dated 12 February 2025 - A stronger Europe through research & innovation
Statement on Heitor report dated 16 October 2024 - Time to align, act and accelerate
CESAER design principles for FP10 dated 14 December 2023 - Towards next framework programme for research & innovation 2028-2034 (‘FP10’)
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