Too often, Regulations and Directives have been proposed with far-reaching consequences for universities, research centres and the people who work there, but with little or no consideration of these implications.
The letter proposes concrete steps, including a review of the Union's Innovation Principle, which is currently focused only on private-sector research, as well as an update of its tools for impact assessment and more effective outreach both between European Commission's services and to stakeholders. Finally, it urges rapid steps to correct the uncertainties caused by recent legislation.
Ole Petter Ottersen, Acting Secretary-General of The Guild said: “To fully realise the potential of European research-intensive universities it is essential that research and education are considered in the ex-ante impact assessment of new legislative proposals. New laws and regulations may have untoward and unexpected effects on universities and these effects should be identified in advance.”
The signatories:
- European University Association (EUA)
- The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities
- International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
- Knowledge Rights 21 (KR21)
- LIBER (Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche – Association of EuropeanResearch Libraries)
- Science Europe
- SPARC Europe
- Stichting eIFL.net (EIFL)
31 January 2024