Members of the European Parliament have backed plans to raise the budget of Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship research programme, from 175 billion euros to 200 billion euros, and to give scientists a stronger say over how the money is spent.
On Tuesday, the Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy Committee voted on the Parliament's position on the 2028-2034 Horizon Europe programme, which aims to strengthen the EU's scientific base and sustain Europe's long-term competitiveness, technological innovation and ability to address major societal challenges.
MEPs want to increase the programme's overall budget to 200 billion euros in current prices, or 177 billion euros in 2025 prices, and to keep its existing structure around four policy areas: science excellence, competitiveness and society, innovation, and the European Research Area. They also propose strong budget guarantees for the European Research Council, which funds frontier research, and the European Innovation Council, which funds innovation from lab to market, and warn against any erosion of the independence of either body.
The committee's text would restructure the link between Horizon Europe and the new European Competitiveness Fund to ensure an effective pathway for turning research into practical applications. It also proposes a high-level council for collaborative research and innovation, made up of at least 30 independent experts from science, industry and civil society, to advise on priorities, partnerships and resource allocation and help draft calls for proposals.
MEPs also propose "fast track to excellence" and "fast track to innovation" schemes to speed up research projects, support for researchers at risk, and similar initiatives for the social sciences, humanities and the arts. Transparency would be reinforced by giving each pillar dedicated budget lines and capping transfers within pillars by the Commission at 10 percent.
"There is only one EU programme for which the Draghi report recommended a specific budget: Horizon Europe's 200 billion euros," said Christian Ehler of the EPP group in Germany, the rapporteur for the regulation. "Parliament is the only institution truly putting science and research at the heart of the European economy." The committee adopted the Parliament's position on the regulation by 67 votes to 1, with 18 abstentions, and voted to open negotiations by 65 votes to 18. The position is expected to be approved at a forthcoming plenary session, with interinstitutional negotiations to start once member states adopt their full mandate, including overall funding levels for the EU's long-term budget.
