European Parliament favours increased budget for research and innovation

On Wednesday 30 May, the European Parliament (EP) adopted a resolution for the next multi-annual financial framework (MFF) as issued by the European Commission on 2 May.

The resolution repeats the EP’s ambition to increase the financial means for research and innovation in Framework Programme 9, by at least 50%. Members of the European Parliament supported going the extra mile, from € 100 billion as previously proposed by the Commission, to € 120 billion as proposed earlier by the EP itself.

Good news so far, but we are not out of the woods yet as final decisions have not been taken. The resolution will strengthen the EP’s position and mandate for the forthcoming negotiations with the European Council, while more detailed budget breakdowns will follow in another Commission proposal expected in the first week of June.