• H2020
• Policy & Research

An association representing European research universities has announced its relief after the budget of the European Research Council and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions has been safeguarded from potential cuts under the European Investment Plan.

The current budget of Horizon 2020’s Spreading excellence and widening participation pillar has also been protected, moves that have been welcomed by League of European Research Universities (LERU).

The Council of the European Union and European Parliament, along with the European Commission, concluded discussions with a provisional agreement on the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) regulation earlier this week.

Professor Kurt Deketelaere, secretary-general of LERU, said: “I am satisfied that this problem is partially solved, fully in line with the LERU bottom line. Let’s now join forces, all involved, and make sure that EFSI becomes a success: if so, we will all win.”

Yet LERU said it maintains its position that it is the wrong signal to give, with €2.2bn cut from the budget of Horizon 2020, adding that it was disappointed in the way democratic and legislative procedures had been followed after the launch of the Investment Plan for Europe.

The organisation said the Parliament was pushed to fast track legislative procedures, the European Court of Auditors’ critique was ignored and the European Investment Bank had already decided, pre-EFSI, on several potential EFSI projects. LERU said the principles of good governance had been heavily violated in this process and such steps should not to be repeated in the future.

The association said it would monitor the application of the EFSI criteria, guidelines and the selection of the supported projects, with the hope that the expected multiplier effect of EFSI would lead to extra funds for research and innovation.