The funding for the Excellent Science Pillar must increase in overall and relative terms. This is essential as the European Research Council (ERC) has been one of the most successful parts of Horizon Europe and its predecessors, and it has an unrivalled track record of scientific, societal, economic and cultural impact. The Guild also calls for continued respect for the Scientific Council's autonomy as its decision-making body and recommends a cautious approach in considering the lump sum model's suitability for its instruments. Additionally, The Guild recommends that the EU’s commitment to strengthening the attractiveness and sustainability of research careers in Europe results in increased investment in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA).
For the second challenge-led pillar of Horizon Europe, it is essential to achieve a true balance across all categories of research and development activities, from fundamental research to experimental development, when addressing global challenges. Although this balance has been agreed in the Horizon Europe legislation, currently the pillar falls short of implementing this, skewing funding towards close-to-market development activities.
In terms of the Innovative Europe pillar, we stress that the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) must better support the engagement of research-intensive universities in innovation ecosystems. This implies that their instruments are clear (in terms of objectives and scope), transparent and workable by universities. The Guild promotes the association of strong R&I partners globally, especially Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Likewise, we strongly encourage the continuation of the Africa Initiative of Horizon Europe and greater synergies with the Global Gateway strategy.
Concerning measures aimed at reducing disparities in R&I performance, we call for better monitoring of Widening instruments. The Guild urges a clearer articulation of how different Widening instruments relate to each other, and what their ultimate objective is. Synergies with Structural Funds need to be further addressed, especially for actions which require complementary funding.
Jan Palmowski, Secretary-General of The Guild, said: "As Horizon Europe approaches its mid-point, we must celebrate and encourage instruments such as the ERC and MSCA that have been outstandingly successful. We need to address carefully elements of the programme that might discourage the best minds from applying. And we must ensure Horizon Europe has the widest possible reach – within Europe and beyond."
22 February 2023
Find below additional publications The Guild published in response to the European Commission consultation on the Horizon Europe programme:
Re-orient Horizon Europe missions to support cutting-edge research | 24 January 2023
Priorities for Strengthening Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities Research in Horizon Europe | 31 January 2023
Priorities for health research in Horizon Europe’s pillar 2 | 7 February 2023
Priorities for digital and artificial intelligence research in Horizon Europe | 14 February 2023