NEWS
Stay updated on the latest developments in plant science policy and EPSO activities!
Weave is a bottom-up, cross-European initiative developed by European research funders organised in Science Europe to support excellent collaborative research projects across borders.
Weave currently comprises national and regional research funders from 11 European countries: AT, BE, CZ, DE, LUX, HR, NO, PL, SV, SE and CH.
As chair of the ISE (Initiative for Science in Europe) Horizon Europe Working Group, Karin Metzlaff is organising with national funders the ISE webinar on WEAVE on 22 September 2023 from 2-3:30 P.M. CET.
Please disseminate to interested colleagues at your university / institute, who are welcome to join the webinar.
To help us prepare the seminar, please confirm your participation by email to [email protected] and cc [email protected], best by 11 September 2023 and send your name, to which ISE member organisation you belong (for EPSO members: EPSO) and your email address.
We will send the link to those who confirmed participation on 14th September.
Looking forward to discussing with you in the webinar!
Monica Dietl, ISE Coordinator
Karin Metzlaff, EPSO Executive Director & ISE chair Horizon Europe WG
Click here to read:
WEAVE webinar announcement, 29.8.2023
WEAVE Briefing for Plant Scientists, 22.8.2023
Contacts:
Kari Metzlaff, EPSO, Executive Director & ISE chair Horizon Europe WG
Monica Dietl, ISE Coordinator
Therefore, we ask European leaders for an increase of the Horizon Europe budget in general and a specific allocation of additional 5Bn€ to Pillar I.
The Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE), published today its statement on the EU Council’s President proposal on MFF and Horizon Europe, stating it is perplexed by the downward spiral of the Horizon Europe Research & Innovation budget for 2021-2027 as an additional cut of 5Bn€ has been proposed by the President of the EU Council.
Although the current COVID-19 crisis has shown beyond any doubt the importance of research and innovation, the funding of the EU flagship research programmes (ERC, boosting frontier research and MSCA, focusing on training of young scientists and entrepreneurs) together with the total investment in Horizon Europe has been declining quickly since the Commission’s initial proposal.
While the EU Parliament had set 120Bn€ as the minimum budget requirement to assure EU competitiveness, the Commission’s June 2018 proposal had a total budget of 94.1Bn€; in February of 2020, the Council discussed an allocation of approx. 85Bn€; this went down to 81Bn€ in May and then to 75.9Bn€ last week. The current proposal is significantly below this ambition and that of a geopolitical Europe set by the EU Commission.
We acknowledge and approve of the additional investment from the “Next generation EU” recovery package to fund innovation actions (approximately 14Bn€). We notice, though, that since frontier research and training of young scientists are not funded through this instrument, a cut in the programme signifies a substantial depletion from the investment in Pillar I of Horizon Europe.
This is going in the wrong direction; research addresses fundamental questions and equips societies to face complex challenges. In these difficult times, the leaders of Member States would show a greater vision for the future of Europe by deciding for a more ambitious investment in Horizon Europe as a whole, to boost the growth of the research and innovation system, and therefore the benefits for European economy and society.
Contacts:
- Martin Andler, President of the Initiative for Science in Europe, [email protected]
- Karin Metzlaff, EPSO Executive Director and member of the ISE Executive Committee
Website: https://initiative-se.eu;Twitter: @ISE_news
ISE statement: https://initiative-se.eu/he-budget-statement-july-2020/