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Open letter from Helsinki EU Office’s Member Organizations to Members of European Parliament on the importance to safeguard the funding of Research and Innovation

Members of Helsinki EU Office ask European Parliament to take the possible steps to generate additional funding for Horizon Europe, and ensure Europe and its Member States’ better capability to respond to the global challenges and industrial competition. 

For a PDF version of the letter, click here.

The undernamed members of Helsinki EU Office regret that, as a consequence of the conclusions by the European Council on the European Union’s Multiannual Financial Framework and the Next Generation EU Recovery fund, the EU’s funding for research and innovation appears to remain flat. We are concerned that the level of EU’s R&I funding is not sufficient to ensure the transition to a sustainable, digital and more prosperous economy and society.

According to the conclusions, the framework program of research and innovation Horizon Europe would receive 75,9 billion euros from the multiannual budget, which is less in comparison to the current program Horizon 2020. Even with the additional five billion euros top-up from the NGEU recovery fund, the funding remains significantly lower than the European Commission put forward (94,4 billion EUR) and the European Parliament proposed (120 billion EUR).

We want to highlight the added value of EU’s R&I actions: Horizon Europe generates remarkable economic, social and scientific returns. According to the impact assessment, Horizon Europe has the potential to deliver up to 11 euros in Gross Domestic Product gains for every euro invested, create up to 320 000 new jobs by 2040 and consolidate Europe’s leadership in research and innovation.

It is crucial to safeguard international cooperation and resources for both fundamental and applied research to generate new scientific solutions, technologies and innovations that forge new industries.

Therefore, we ask the European Parliament to take the possible steps to generate additional funding for Horizon Europe, and thus ensure Europe and its Member States’ better capability to respond to the global challenges and industrial competition.

Aalto University, Arcada University of Applied Sciences, City of Espoo, City of Helsinki, City of Vantaa, Finnish institute for health and welfare, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council, Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Regional Council of Kymenlaakso, Regional Council of Päijät-Häme, University of Helsinki, University of the Arts Helsinki.