Group: For society

On 16 July 2025 the European Commission (EC) published its regulation proposals and plans for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) period 2028 – 2034, as well as the next EU research and innovation (R&I) programme called Horizon Europe (HEU), the tightly connected novel programme European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), and the Erasmus+ programme. Although the documents have been published, several details of the budgets and the programmes are still lacking. We need to keep in mind that this is the first proposal, whereas both the Member States and the EP will discuss with the EC in trilogues about the final outcome which should be ready by mid 2027. This op-ed article by Pim de Boer, Senior Policy Advisor, and Ramon Puras, Aurora Secretary General, provides a first insight in some of the details and possible consequences for universities including Aurora universities.

What’s New, With What Budget?

The EC proposed a total 7-year budget for the EU of almost 2 trillion (!) euro, spread over the major headers: “National and Regional Partnership Plans”, the “ECF”, “Erasmus+ and AgoraEU”, “Global Europe”, and “others”.

The ECF is a novel programme consisting of HEU as a separate programme, and a merger of 14 current programmes like Digital Europe, EU4Health, LIFE and the European Defence Fund. AgoraEU is also a novel programme streamlining the EU intervention in the areas of culture, media, equality, citizens, rights and values. It comprises the current programmes Creative Europe and Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV).

A budget of about 409 billion euro is reserved for the new ECF programme, and out of this a 175 billion euro is proposed for the HEU programme. Which is less than the 200 or more billion euro requested for the R&I programme by the EU Member States, the European Parliament (EP) and e.g. the academic sector including Aurora network. Nevertheless, it is almost a doubling of the current HEU budget. For Erasmus+ an increased budget of about 41 billion euro is foreseen, and 9 billion euro for AgoraEU.

These programmes need to address the EU policy priorities: a free and democratic Europe, a strong and secure Europe, and a prosperous and competitive Europe. This includes the themes competitiveness, security, defence, resilience, democratic values, education, social fairness, quality of life, and a global Europe.

Notably, the European Universities Alliances are referenced across all three key publications on the ECF, HEU, and Erasmus+, with their primary anchoring in Erasmus+. This marks a significant evolution from the current programme period and opens promising opportunities for greater synergy between these programmes and associated co-funding schemes. Such alignment would represent a major step forward in integrating research, innovation, valorisation and education through EU funding instruments.

European Competitiveness Fund (ECF)

The ECF will contribute to this focusing on 4 policy priorities:

1. clean transition
2. digital leadership entailing AI, quantum, cybersecurity, and digital sovereignty
3. health, bioeconomy, biotechnology, and agriculture, and
4. defence, space, resilience and security.

In brief, the ECF will deal with integrated work programmes across these policy windows, including collaborative R&I, scale-up calls, deployment and accelerated interventions. It will integrate HEU results into downstream industrial and market deployment activities, stimulating the flow of results from basic science towards applied R&I and application. How this will interface with the HEU programme has not yet been detailed in full. Funding mechanisms comprise more complex and hybrid (public-private) funding tools (e.g. equity, guarantees, procurement).

For (Aurora) universities the ECF provides opportunities for taking research results and outputs further to start-ups, and their start-ups to scale ups and beyond, in the context of the given policy windows – clean energy, zero waste, digital technologies and applications, health resilience and (bio) technologies, agriculture, deep tech, security, space (including use of satellite data) and defence including dual-use technologies and civil preparedness. In general, this may require collaboration with business partners and other relevant stakeholders. Other opportunities lie within training and skilling students and staff related to (social) entrepreneurship and dedicated job skills and knowledge as mentioned in the Union of Skills.

Horizon Europe 2028-2034 (HEU)

The HEU programme remains the core R&I programme, fundamentally based on academic freedom and openness, and looks familiar to the current HEU programme. However, it does have major changes as shown in the next figure on the proposed structure:

In brief, HEU will retain the ERC and its instruments with evaluation based on the excellence criterion, MSCA, and (new) the Joint Research Centres in Pillar 1. Aligned with our statement on non-directionality in MSCA instruments, the proposal focuses on research, training, interdisciplinarity in an international setting, and retaining talents in line with the “EU Choose Europe” strategy.

Pillar 2 is about collaborative research. It is unclear for research contributing to the ECF policy windows how this will be governed, which work programmes are acting, or whether early phase collaborative research (at low TRL/SRL) is exempted from the ECF policy windows as we recommended.

Pillar 3 on the EIC and innovative ecosystems retains its current instruments, and possibly new programmatic and extensive instruments like the USA (D) Advanced Research Projects Agencies (ARPA) to support transformative breakthrough projects to provide solutions and applications.

Pillar 4 contains the European Research Area (ERA) policy agenda, research and technology infrastructures, and to widening participation and spreading excellence funding instruments.

Specific aspects: integrating social sciences and humanities (SSH); adhering to Open Science; and simplifying procedures like reduced time to grant, common use of lump sum, and a funding rate of 100% for non-profit and SMEs. Calls will be more open, less prescriptive. In addition, HEU will have an emphasis on international cooperation (hence being connected to Global Europe), new European partnerships will be developed and the programme may “support dual-use actions”.

For (Aurora) universities new opportunities include the less prescriptive nature of calls and potential new types of programmatic financing within the EIC programme. As details on Pillar 2 are not clear yet, we do not know how calls for collaborative research will be developed, with whom, and how this will be governed as well as evaluated, as Pillar 2 apart from “society” is tightly linked with the ECF that has a different governance and separate work programmes. Hence, there is room for improvement as well as co-creation of the programme, its Pillars and work programmes between universities, researchers, and the EC.

Erasmus+ 2028-2034

The Erasmus+ programme will continue to support education and mobility contributing to the resilience and competitiveness of Europe, the green and digital transition, and social inclusion and values. Its goal is to promote high-quality lifelong learning, talent development, and skills for life and jobs. The new structure will contain two pillars:

1. learning opportunities including via mobility actions and scholarships in strategic fields, and
2. capacity building with partnerships building on e.g. the European Universities Alliances for cooperation, excellence and innovation, and providing support for policy development and systemic innovation in education and youth.

Other important activities include the European degree and/or label, microcredentials, the Union of Skills and lifelong learning, and synergies with HEU and the ECF. The programme supports the strategic areas mentioned under the ECF. This is substantiated by introducing new strategic Erasmus+ grants in key areas (digital technologies, green economy, AI). As mentioned above, the EU priorities mentioned in the Competitiveness Compass (and the ECF regulation) also include education, skilling & training.

Taken together, the European Commission’s proposals for HEU, the MFF and ECF, and Erasmus+ contain several elements of relevance to Aurora universities, most notably:

• Increased Erasmus+, MFF and HEU budget with strategic emphasis
• Continued and visible support for European Universities Alliances through ECF, HEU and Erasmus+ synergies
• Focus on talent, skills, and lifelong learning
• Promotion of democratic values and social inclusion
• Strengthened global dimension through ‘Global Europe’

With the new EU funding programmes starting in 2028, the preparations for the legislation and the outlines of the respective programmes is ongoing.

For research and innovation, the next framework programme FP10, Horizon Europe, several drafts have been published. Based on this, the academic sector shares its wishes, needs, recommendations and concerns over the plans. Among the concerns is the fear that early-phase, pre-competitive and collaborative research will not remain embedded bottom-up in the research programme but in the new European Competitiveness Fund (ECF). This would imply that this type of research falls under the ECF policy priorities and rules strongly connected to applied research, start-ups, scaling up, deployment and marketable activities.

Therefore, in this statement together with other academic associations, the Aurora network conveys its recommendation to the European Commission, Member States and the European Parliament, to leave early-phase collaborative research fully under Horizon Europe rulings. This joint statement is co-signed by: Coimbra Group, EU-Life, Yerun, ECIU, Aurora, European Alliance for Social Sciences and Humanities (EASSH), European University Association (EUA), Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE), All European Academies (ALLEA), Marie-Curie Alumni Association, UNICA and European Children’s Hospitals Organisation (ECHO).

Read the full statement.

On 22 May 2025, the Aurora Annual Conference 2025 at Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC) wrapped up with the first-ever Aurora Sustainability Summit 2025 – a powerful gathering that put sustainability at the heart of how universities teach, research, and operate.

Inspiring Speakers and Bold Ideas

The Aurora Sustainability Summit 2025 began with a morning plenary featuring an impressive line-up of speakers committed to transforming their campuses and communities through sustainability-focused initiatives:

• Prof. Lolita Rubens, Vice-president of Social Responsibility, Université Paris-Est Créteil
• Dr. Hafdís Hanna Ægisdóttir, Director of the Sustainability Institute, University of Iceland
• Prof. Maurizio Cellura, Coordination committee of RUS, Italian Network of Universities for Sustainable Development, Università di Palermo
• Zuzana Hunkova, Coordinator for Sustainable Development, Palacký University Olomouc
• Dr. Ramon Rispoli Associate Professor of Design, Università Federico II of Naples
• Benedetta Toledo, PhD candidate, Università Federico II of Naples
• Prof. Marjolein Zweekhorst, Professor of Innovation and Education, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Speakers shared how their universities are leading on sustainability – from food systems to campus strategies and student engagement.

From left to right: Ramon Rispoli, Benedetta Toledo, Zuzana Hunkova, Marjolein Zweekhorst and Lorenzo Rieg
© Ciprian Olteanu 

Sharing Best Practices and Innovative Models

Throughout the morning, speakers highlighted impactful initiatives and academic models:

• At VU Amsterdam, Community Service Learning is empowering students to co-create sustainable solutions through interdisciplinary collaboration.
• In Naples, an innovative educational programme challenges students to rethink food systems in the Anthropocene.
• Palacký University Olomouc shared its journey in developing an institutional sustainability strategy, grounded in civic engagement and policy alignment.

The Power of Networks: Panel Discussion on Collaboration

A central theme of the summit was the value of inter-university collaboration in driving systemic change. In a panel discussion, speakers explored how Alliances like Aurora can amplify local efforts, accelerate innovation, and support the adoption of sustainable practices across institutions.

“Collaboration is key,” noted Prof. Maurizio Cellura, “not just between universities, but between disciplines, sectors, and communities. Networks give us the momentum and diversity needed to make real impact.”

From left to right: Lolita Rubens, Maurizio Cellura and Hafdís Hanna Ægisdóttir
© Ciprian Olteanu

Looking Ahead: Workshops and Practical Tools

The afternoon featured three interactive workshop sessions designed to deepen participant engagement and provide actionable tools:

• Futures Literacy Lab – exploring how future-oriented thinking can shape present-day action
• Climate Fresco – raising awareness of the interconnected causes and consequences of climate change
• Biodiversity Fresco – unpacking the systemic aspects of biodiversity loss and human impact

These workshops equipped participants with frameworks that can be applied in research, teaching, and institutional strategies.

Aurora Sustainability Summit afternoon workshops

Closing Ceremony and the Path Forward

The summit concluded with a closing ceremony and the official handover of the Aurora flag to the next host university of the Aurora Annual Conference 2026 – Universität Duisburg-Essen, symbolizing the continuity of commitment to shared values and sustainable progress.

Ceremonial handover of the Aurora flag by Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC) to University of Duisburg-Essen as hosts of the Aurora Annual Conference 2026
© Ciprian Olteanu

Aurora is among prominent universities, associations and research institutions from Africa and Europe to call upon the EU to enhance its strategic commitments to Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).

We emphasize the importance of more European and national funding as part of the Global Gateway’s fifth investment priority to advance competitive European connections to knowledge societies in the LMICs and address shared challenges in research, innovation, and higher education (e.g. health, climate and digital challenges).

Our recommendations:

• Increased investment by the European Commission, national authorities and the private sector, in research, innovation and higher education – in line with Global Gateway priorities – to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, resilience and preparedness.
• Europe’s 360-degree approach across all Global Gateway priorities to better integrate research, innovation and higher education to ensure the competitiveness, effectiveness and sustainability of our international partnerships.
• International research collaborations with LMICs to be funded through an excellence-based self-standing successor to Horizon Europe (FP10).
• Establishment of a research-focused advisory group including research-performing organisations and universities, to complement the business, civil society and local authorities advisory groups to the Global Gateway. This will further enhance the scale up of the Global Gateway over the coming years with valuable experience, expertise, coordination and readiness to act.

Read the full statement supported by ARUA, Bavarian Research Alliance, CRUE, ERAsud, EUTOPIA,  DAAD, DSW, The Guild, Slovenská rektorská konferencia, VU Amsterdam, Udice, University of Pretoria and University of Ostrava.

This year, universities in Aurora embarked on initiatives that promote equity, equality and empowerment for women on two major international days: the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February and International Women’s Day on 8 March.

These initiatives aim to increase awareness on gender inequality, drive inclusion and inspire action by:

• Enabling access to equal rights for women in science
• Highlighting excellence in academia
• Supporting women’s advancement
• Celebrating women whose leadership has left a lasting impact.

University of Iceland (UI)

To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the University of Iceland organised a panel session featuring women researchers and scientists from Iceland, Sweden and Finland, as part of the larger IUPAC Global Women’s Breakfast (GWB) initiative. This year’s GWB theme is “Accelerating Equity in Science”. The IUPAC GWB initiative unites scientists from around the globe in more than 500 locations to foster collaboration and discuss ways to advance diversity and inclusion in science.

More about the event: IUPAC Global Women’s Breakfast 2025 – Reykjavík

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam)

From the fundraising initiative launched by women in 1932 until today, women have been catalysing positive impact at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. For International Women’s Day 2025, discover the five women showcased this year and learn how their contributions continue to leave a mark on the university.

Read further: Five important women in the history of VU Amsterdam

University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE)

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Anke Hinney held a talk on International Women’s Day as part of a larger awareness and empowerment event hosted in Limbecker Platz, Essen. Anke Hinney is a professor at the University Clinic Essen, in the Department of Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy. An active champion in raising awareness on gender and medicine, Prof. Hinney is a founding member and acting director of the Institute of Gender-Sensitive Medicine.

Università Federico II of Naples (UNINA)

On International Women’s Day, Città della Scienza, in collaboration with Università Federico II of Naples, held the event “Women in Science: Inspiration and Challenges for the Future”. The initiative honored the contributions of women to science, inspired future generations, and promoted gender equality in research and innovation. Distinguished female scientists and experts shared their experiences, highlighting the role of women in shaping scientific progress and addressing the challenges they still face. Special contributions came from UNINA scholars, including experts in mathematics, geophysics, and astrophysics. The event concluded with an open discussion, fostering dialogue on strategies for greater inclusion in science and technology.

Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV)

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, SER Tarragona and the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) organised an event called “Amb veu de dona: la perspectiva de gènere a la Universitat” (“With a Woman’s Voice: The Gender Perspective at the University”). This event reflected on the role and empowerment of women at the university. Over the course of two hours, prominent and influential women from the university community shared their experiences and discussed topics such as the Equality Unit, the new Anti-Harassment Protocol, the feminist perspective on architecture, and women’s presence in the STEM field, among others.

Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC)

March is the perfect month to discuss issues of equality, discrimination and the promotion of an inclusive culture within the university community. The programme includes: a roundtable on women’s rights, the celebration of women writers with FEU Festival, and the screening of the documentary “Les filles de Birkenau”. Also on the agenda is a high-level conference on “Supporting Young Women In, And Toward, Scientific Careers” with Anne Potter, President of the Anne and Frédéric Potter Endowment Fund, and Sylvie Retailleau, former Minister for Higher Education and Research.

Find out more: Mois Égalité et Inclusion à l’UPEC

Palacký University Olomouc (UP)

For the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2025, Palacký University Olomouc held the Breakfast with Science event featuring researcher Michaela Šaradín Lebedíková, recipient of the Masaryk University Rector’s Award for Excellence in Doctoral Studies. Breakfast with Science is an opportunity for researchers to share experiences on how to progress and succeed in the scientific environment.

Learn more: Women’s Science Breakfast

Copenhagen Business School (CBS)

Female entrepreneurs already face more discrimination against their male counterparts when it comes to securing external funding from banks and investors. This research from CBS professor Vera Rocha shows that women entrepreneurs also face challenges from their own internal employees. Entrepreneurial success does not eliminate gender bias.

Read the research: Female Entrepreneurs Face Discrimination From Their Own Employees

Karazin Kharkiv National University (KKNU)

Since the 19th century, Karazin University has played a leading role in expanding women’s access to education, science, and professional activities. To honour the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, KKNU’s Central Scientific Library produced a video highlighting women’s contribution to academic excellence at the university.

Watch the video: Intelligence, Grace and Greatness

Read the article on International Women’s Day.

Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (UPJS)

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science was the occasion for a panel discussion on “Women in Science: Stories, Challenges, Visions”. This exchange between the university management and speakers from research, PhD students, female staff, and employees, covered topics such as stereotypes and gender prejudices in science, work-life balance for women scientists, gender equality in science and the mental health of women researchers. To further honour women on International Women’s Day, two initiatives were organised on “Equality in Diversity” and “Discussions on Women, Men, Sex and Gender”.

South-West University “Neofit Rilksi” (SWUNR)

At SWUNR, the university held a “Martenitsa workshop”with its Erasmus+ students. The Martenitsa is a Bulgarian tradition symbolising health, renewal, and the arrival of spring. It consists of red and white threads woven together, representing life, vitality (red), and purity, new beginnings (white). Martenitsa is also a symbol honouring the female beginning and embodies femininity. A perfect event to celebrate women on International Women’s Day 2025.

Aurora is co-signatory of the Open Letter on the next research and innovation (R&I) policy and programming period to European Commission President von der Leyen, European Parliament President Metsola, European Council President Costa, and Polish Prime Minister Tusk. As such, Aurora strongly supports the call for a powerful and ambitious R&I policy and R&I programme FP10. We emphasise the critical role of scientific excellence in Europe’s future competitiveness and call for increased investments in FP10. No national R&I programme can replace or match EU’s scientific excellence that is needed for Europe’s prosperity, economic growth and competitiveness, health, addressing societal challenges and geopolitical strength.

Main points in this Open Letter include:

1. Strengthening Europe’s capacity in complex technologies, health and life sciences, advanced materials, and democratic resilience through sustained research funding;
2. Maintaining the excellence principle at the core of FP10, ensuring the integrity of the programme and fostering groundbreaking ideas;
3. Expanding and safeguarding key research funding mechanisms such as the European Research Council (ERC) and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) while reinforcing the autonomy of their governance structures;
4. Supporting an autonomous European Innovation Council (EIC) to help translate breakthrough knowledge into innovation and valorisation;
5. Enhancing international collaboration and science diplomacy, leveraging partnerships with closely associated countries and global allies to strengthen Europe’s research ecosystem; and
6. To achieve this, a substantially increased and ring-fenced budget for FP10 to support scientific excellence and societal advancement is needed.

Led by LERU and The Guild, this Open Letter is signed by more than 100 Presidents of European universities, and over 20 networks and national rectors conferences. Read the full Open Letter and support the call for a strong European Research & Innovation policy and FP10.

The new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) will begin in 2028, setting the stage for the next seven years of EU financial priorities. The European Union is also expected to introduce its next Research and Innovation (R&I) framework programme (FP), currently referred to as FP10. Pim de Boer, senior policy advisor EU affairs at the Aurora Central Office, reflects on the developments and outlines the opportunities and challenges ahead for Aurora universities.

The Road to FP10

The process of shaping FP10 began nearly two years ago with the midterm review of Horizon Europe (HEU) programme. This review marked the first step in what has become a complex and multi-layered procedure. The European Commission (EC) is responsible for driving this process, and universities have significantly contributed to its direction. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Aurora have provided recommendations for FP10. These inputs were aligned with national and European higher education organizations. Concurrently, the Council of the EU and the EC commissioned expert analyses on key issues. Enrico Letta examined the state of the EU single market, Mario Draghi assessed the European Union’s global competitiveness, and the High-Level Expert Group led by Manuel Heitor evaluated Horizon Europe while proposing recommendations for FP10.

Political continuity has also played a role in these technical and policy-oriented efforts. Ursula von der Leyen’s reappointment as Chairwoman of the European Commission brought the new policy brief for 2024–2029. The appointment of commissioners focused on start-ups, R&I, skills and jobs, highlights the importance of research, innovation and education in the coming years.

Key Reflections from Expert Reports

The recently published reports from Letta, Draghi, and Heitor offer valuable insights into the direction FP10 might take. Letta’s report emphasizes the “5th freedom”, which promotes the mobility of knowledge, R&I, and education within the EU. Draghi’s analysis highlights the EU’s lagging competitiveness compared to global powers like the USA and China. His recommendations include stronger R&I efforts, better collaboration between universities and industry, increased private investments, and leveraging European University Alliances (EUNs) as key drivers of innovation. Heitor’s report, which Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam provided input for, focuses on simplifying grant procedures and more strategic steering of collaborative research, mainly through HEU Pillar 2. He proposes the establishment of two new Councils, one for competitiveness and the other for societal challenges, to guide these efforts.

All three reports advocate for a higher R&I budget—at least €200 billion—and stress the importance of supporting excellent research through mechanisms like the European Research Council (ERC), Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), and research infrastructures, as well as innovation and application through European Innovation Council (EIC)-like mechanisms.

Universities as Stakeholders in FP10

FP10 presents both opportunities and challenges. A priority will be to secure maximum funding for research that covers the range from fundamental to applied research and innovation. This means ensuring support for low-TRL (Technology Readiness Level) or (SRL) Societal Readiness Level , collaborative, challenge-driven research while avoiding a widening gap between excellent research and applied, EIC-type projects.

Additionally, the link between education and R&I must remain central to FP10. The Directorate-General for Education (DG EAC) has assured stakeholders that Erasmus+ will not be integrated into the competitiveness fund. This offers universities an opportunity to strengthen the connection between education initiatives and research programs at the EU level, creating synergies across funding streams. As mentioned by both Ursula von der Leyen and her Commissioners Minzatu (skills, education) and Zaharieva (R&I) the European University alliances may play an important role in this.

Meanwhile, the European Parliament’s ITRE (Industry, Research and Energy) committee published a draft report reflecting on these previously mentioned reports. ITRE supports several ideas recommended by the Heitor report. Informally there is support from ITRE and DG RTD to the higher education sector to avoid splitting HEU Pillar 2 into two under different Councils. Rather, continuation in the chain of research from fundamental to applied research is a necessity to contribute to societal challenges, innovation, valorisation and competitiveness.

In addition to this, the European Commission has also published the “Competitiveness Compass”, a strategic document outlined the necessity of Europe being more competitive and how to get there. Among the simplification rules for companies for innovation and scaling up, the several ways to increase public and private funding, focusing on areas like technologies (digital and AI, biotechnology), clean energy, advanced materials, cybersecurity and defence, the Compass also refers to skilling people and lifelong learning (creation of a Union of Skills), as well as reforming the EIC into big programmatic approaches and aligning ERC and EIC to achieve competitiveness results. The latter point is worrying as the independence of the ERC, fundamental and curiosity-driven research, and agility of research are at stake.

Furthermore, the Compass has a strong focus on technology leaving out inclusion of social sciences and humanities-driven research and knowledge and also lacks a focus on addressing societal challenges via low TRL/SRL type challenge-driven collaborative research. Referring to the Union of Skills, an emphasis on the relation between (higher) education, research, innovation and collaboration with society should also have been addressed in order to train and skill our students to being able to contribute to the higher level of European competitiveness. Finally, the Compass does not mention any role of university alliances in this.

Aurora, in collaboration with umbrella organisations like the European Universities Association (EUA) and universities like Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, are actively shaping FP10 through policy discussions with the EC, European Parliament, and other stakeholders. These efforts include supporting campaigns such as ResearchMatters!, contributing to sector-specific recommendations, and engaging in sector-wide deliberations on the co-creation of FP10.

Looking Ahead

The EC internal timeline suggests that the EC will publish a new regulatory proposal for FP10 in the second half of 2025, after the publication of the draft multiannual financial framework in July. In the meantime, developments remain fluid. Drafts of the new MFF structure suggest the inclusion of a competitiveness fund, though details are still being debated.

By continuing to advocate for robust R&I funding, fostering synergies between education and research, and engaging in collaborative policy discussions, universities can help shape FP10 into a framework that drives innovation and competitiveness across Europe. As these efforts progress, our commitment to excellence and collaboration will ensure that we remain at the forefront of these developments.