Eurodoc Response on the Future of FP10 and ERC

The European Commission’s plan to restructure the organisation of R&I funding as reported in ScienceBusiness is alarming. The claim that this serves to put science, development, and innovation at the centre seems but a fig leaf. What actually puts science, development, and innovation at the centre of the EU’s innovation strategy is making the necessary financial investments and not a top-down restructuring. The three pillar structure is considered a success: The European Research Council (ERC) has been effective in stimulating and ensuring research excellence, with both the ERC’s independence and the ringfenced budget protecting the freedom to scientific research. Defence research has not just a different logic than fundamental and blue-sky research, it is also tied to shifting political priorities, making it crucial to ensure the separation of budgets. Instead of nice catchphrases, realising the goal set two decades ago, namely that each member state devotes 3% of their GDP to R&I and increasing the funding by the EU will ensure that Europe sees the stimulation, impact, and innovation it expects from research.