€175 Billion Budget Confirmed
The European Commission has officially presented plans for the 10th Framework Programme (FP10), following earlier leaked draft proposals that circulated in Brussels in July. The official proposal confirms a substantial increase to €175 billion for the 2028-34 period, nearly doubling the current Horizon Europe allocation.
The programme will remain “standalone” within the wider €409 billion European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), ending months of speculation about potential absorption into the competitiveness mechanism. However, a significant portion of Pillar 2 funding for collaborative research will be managed by the Competitiveness Fund.
Four-Pillar Structure with Strategic Alignment
FP10 will adopt a four-pillar structure: excellent science, competitiveness and society, innovation, and European research area, with the second pillar set to be tightly connected to the ECF.
Pillar 1: Excellent Science continues funding basic science through the European Research Council (ERC) and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), with the Commission planning to double the ERC budget and maintain a stronger focus on attracting and keeping talent in Europe.
Pillar 2: Competitiveness and Society represents the most significant change. Despite rumors to the contrary, FP10 will have a Pillar 2 to support collaborative research and innovation, but it will hold a different name and be closely tied to the ECF. It comprises:
- A “competitiveness” component funding research supporting the ECF’s four policy areas: clean transition and industrial decarbonisation; health, bioeconomy and biotechnology; digital; and resilience, defence and space
- A “society” component supporting “bottom-up research” on societal challenges such as migration, democracy and disinformation, incorporating EU missions and the New European Bauhaus Facility
The Commission plans to establish a “limited number” of radically simplified partnerships within Pillar 2, with the ECF contributing to partnerships “when necessary” to achieve competitiveness objectives. The largest partnerships, including joint undertakings, are expected to continue under this streamlined approach.
Pillar 3: Innovation will continue through the European Innovation Council (EIC), which is in for a revamp modelled after ARPA, the US advanced research agencies, with tripled budget.
Pillar 4: European Research Area supports unified ERA development through policy, infrastructures, and widening participation schemes.
Moonshots and Innovation Ambitions
The draft mentions nine examples of “moonshots” that FP10 may finance, including investing in CERN’s Future Circular Collider project, developing clean aviation and quantum computing. However, these proposed moonshots have raised eyebrows as the regulation does not specify how they will be different from the contentious research Missions in current Horizon Europe.
Forest-based Sector Opportunities
The enhanced focus on bioeconomy presents significant opportunities for research and innovation in the forest-based sector. Under the ECF, cleantech, the bioeconomy and decarbonisation will see their budget multiplied by six, directly aligning with the sector’s capacity for bio-based solutions.
The “health, bioeconomy and biotechnology” component within Pillar 2’s competitiveness focus could support forest-based innovations in advanced materials, sustainable forest management technologies, and circular economy applications. However, the governance structure raises questions about maintaining support for fundamental forest research that may not have immediate market applications but is essential for long-term sustainability.
Timeline and Next Steps
The proposed budget is part of a €2 trillion Multiannual Financial Framework due to start in 2028, with figures requiring years of haggling between the European Parliament and member states, with agreement envisioned by the end of 2027.
Chances are that even the proposed €175 billion will be pared back during negotiations, as happened when the Commission’s 2018 proposal for €120 billion was cut down significantly. The coming negotiations will be crucial in determining both the final budget and governance structures that balance strategic competitiveness objectives with research independence.
Sources:
https://sciencebusiness.net/news/planning-fp10/commission-draft-proposal-fp10-leaked
https://sciencebusiness.net/news/planning-fp10/commission-puts-forward-eu175b-budget-fp10
https://sciencebusiness.net/news/planning-fp10/six-months-shaped-future-horizon-europe
