Ireland’s Preliminary Position – Next EU Research and Innovation Framework Programme

The world in which the next EU research and innovation (R&I) framework programme will be developed is very different to the backdrop to previous framework programmes, as the challenges become ever more complex and the geopolitical context changes rapidly.

The EU has an opportunity to design an R&I framework programme that helps ensure a competitive, secure and prosperous Europe now and in the future.This requires putting R&I at the heart of EU policymaking and the development of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

To reap the many benefits of R&I investment, Europe needs a dedicated and integrated programme. We must learn from the experience of Horizon Europe and ensure an adequate and ring-fenced budget focused on maintaining Europe’s track record for producing excellent science while improving its performance in transforming that knowledge into cutting-edge goods, services, technologies and creative solutions that benefit society. The pursuit of European added value should inform the design and implementation of the next framework programme (FP10).

FP10 needs to be ambitious because the framework programmes set the tone for what happens in national systems – from driving excellence to promoting transnational cooperation and supporting open science and gender equality. The EU needs to preserve and protect what works well while evolving and innovating to ensure the framework programme remains relevant and fit for purpose. FP10 will run until 2034.

While R&I can make a significant contribution to achieving wider policy priorities, not everything can or should be achieved through the framework programmes. Greater attention should be paid to the alignment and coherence between national and EU programmes to maximise the combined impact of national and EU investment.

This preliminary position paper sets out Ireland’s priorities for FP10:

• Excellence must remain the primary criterion for the award of framework programme funding to maintain Europe’s track record for producing excellent research;
• Innovation of all types from incremental to disruptive innovation must be supported to drive Europe’s competitiveness and ensure sustainable growth; and
• Implementation tools underpinning FP10 must be effective and fit for purpose to ensure that the framework programme continues to be transformative.