European research organisations urge increased investment in innovation
Leading research and innovation organisations across Europe have issued an open letter as part of the ResearchMatters campaign, urging a substantial increase in investment in research and innovation.
This call to action addresses some of the continent's most urgent challenges, including climate change, the rise of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, environmental and energy crises, threats to democracy and security, and pandemics.
The letter highlights the significant investments made by North America and Asia in recent years, which have left Europe at risk of lagging behind. To maintain competitiveness and drive economic, ecological, and societal transitions, European nations and the EU need to take bold and immediate steps to boost their research and innovation (R&I) funding significantly.
The open letter proposes several key actions:
Increase funding for R&I in Europe to over 3% of GDP within the European Union and across European countries
Double the budget for the EU's next research and innovation programme (FP10) to 200 billion EUR
Protect this budget by ring-fencing it to ensure dedicated funding
Prominent figures from the research and innovation community have signed the letter, which calls on the European Council, Commission, and Parliament, as well as national and regional policymakers, to take decisive action. It also invites the entire research and innovation community, society, and the media to support this initiative.
Key organisations supporting this campaign include:
Academia Europaea
ALLEA (All European Academies)
CESAER (Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research)
European University Association (EUA)
EuroTech Universities Alliance
LERU (League of European Research Universities)
Science Europe
The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities
UAS4EUROPE
The open letter concludes with a call to action:
“We urge the European institutions and all European countries, national and regional policymakers, the whole research and innovation community, society, and the media, to join our quest.”
