“Promotion of excellence must be expanded further”

Statement of MPG President Martin Stratmann on 'Horizon Europe'

July 02, 2018

The European Commission has presented its suggestion for the new research and innovation programme “Horizon Europe”. In his statement, Martin Stratmann, President of the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, welcomes the priorities, but at the same time warns that more courage is needed: “Promotion of excellence in research is a central pillar of a competitive, knowledge-based economy in Europe.”

The seven-year budget for “Horizon Europe” is nearly EUR 100 billion, 30 percent more than its predecessor's budget. In light of the political challenges being faced during the course of Brexit, the EU Commission has increased funding in order to acknowledge “the importance of research and innovation at a time of global competition for knowledge and technology,” Martin Stratmann highlights. At the same time, the Lisbon target of investing 3% of the gross domestic product across Europe in R&D is far from a reality. Stratmann points out that therefore, further “major efforts are needed to ensure that the European Union remains on course.” “It is more important now than ever before to maintain and improve the attractiveness of the European Research Area (ERA) as a site for world-class research.” In this context, Stratmann also supports the suggestions by the European Parliament to agree further significant budget increases for “Horizon Europe” with the EU Council.

In relation to the European Research Council (ERC), which was founded eleven years ago and today promotes European excellence as a global benchmark, Stratmann stresses: “The Max-Planck-Gesellschaft recognizes the decision by the European Commission to confirm the ERC as the single largest financial item in Horizon Europe, while simultaneously guaranteeing the independence of the ERC via the Scientific Council analog to Horizon 2020. An undifferentiated equal treatment alongside other EU agencies could have been the end of the ERC’s success story.” At the same time, ERC funding should be expanded over and above the level suggested by the Commission in order to be ready for the challenge to keep the urgently needed excellent researchers in Europe and attract researchers from third countries to the EU. “Europe cannot afford to allow globally coveted key players to turn their backs on the continent, simply because ERC projects which have been evaluated positively cannot be financed,” Stratmann says. The Max-Planck-Gesellschaft thus supports the statement by the Scientific Council published in May 2017 to double the ERC’s budget.

 

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