Germany presents comprehensive position on FP10

The German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) has recently published a comprehensive paper on 'Horizon Europe 2028-2034: German position on the European Commission proposal'. The position paper clearly states the German Federal Government’s position concerning the Commission draft and outlines the priorities Germany will pursue in the upcoming negotiations in Council.

According to the BMFTR, it is clear for the German Federal Government that Europe should remain a leader in research and innovation. To achieve that, research needs reliable structures, strong partnerships and scope for excellent ideas. The BMFTR also refers to the High-Tech Agenda Germany (HTAD) adopted last summer which defines strong goals at national level and is in the process of implementation. Many of these priorities correspond to the EU’s priorities, and the BMFTR expects FP10 to help to make joint progress in that respect.

The Federal Government supports efforts to ensure that scientific excellence continues to be the key criterion in research and innovation funding. It is regarded as crucial that the research results can be used in Europe – from pioneering basic research to the transfer into marketable products and solutions.

The Federal Government’s position paper states the following objectives and key demands for the design of the next EU Framework Programme:

• Targeted support for the best ideas and talents. Europe is to become even more attractive for international talent. This requires simple and clear rules.
• Easier and more effective European cooperation in research. FP10 and national funding strategies are to be complementary to a greater extent.
• European collaborative research should remain at the core of the Framework Programme and be closely linked to the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF). With regard to governance of the Policy Windows, the German position paper calls for "at minimum, stand-alone sub-configurations of the thematic ECF programme committees for R&I“. The paper also calls for Partnerships to be used "more selectively and more strategically“.
• Research results are to be applied to a greater extent. The close interface with the European Competitiveness Fund must be designed to foster European competitiveness, productivity, sustainability and resilience in line with the political priorities.
• The European Research Council (ERC) and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) should remain independent and strong. They are international symbols of scientific freedom and excellent research.
• Start-ups will also benefit – the European Innovation Council (EIC) is to provide even more targeted support for young, research-driven companies.
• The EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation should continue to be as open as possible to third-country researchers. Rules governing research security should be clear and reliable.

In view of the current geopolitical situation, the German Federal Government is in favour of opening the Research Framework Programme for projects that may lead to civil as well as security-relevant applications. In this way, synergy between civil and military research is to be used without losing sight of the focus on European values, sustainability and societal impact. The German position welcomes the opening of the European Innovation Council (EIC) for dual use, adding that "in well-founded exceptional cases" the use of EIC instruments for defence research should also be possible, while defence research should primarily funded through the ECF.

Amongst other issues addressed, the German position is critical of the independence of the EIT and is against funding up to 20% of building costs for Research and Technology Infrastructures. The German position paper supports Widening measures ("self-contained and separate from the rest of the programme“) and stresses the importance of national R&D investments in this context. It firmly rejects geographic criteria in other areas of the Framework Programme outside the dedicated "Widening" part. The paper includes an annex defining topics for collaborative research that should be addressed under Pillar II.and calls for a close link ot the 'Society' area with the ECF Policy Windows.

For more information:

BMFTR - press release

Federal Ministry of Resarch, Technology and Space: German positions on Horizon Europe 2028-2034