Peter Koekoek, Science|Business
The European Parliament's Research, Industry and Energy Committee has adopted a tough negotiating position on the EU's next research funding programme.
MEPs in the European Parliament's Research, Industry and Energy (ITRE) Committee almost unanimously adopted a series of amendments yesterday (28 November) on the six legislative proposals that make up Horizon 2020, the EU's next research funding programme.
"Parliament has a clear, strong and united position for negotiation with the Council," said Teresa Riera Madurell MEP (S&D-ES), one of the Horizon 2020 rapporteurs on ITRE, warning national governments that the European Parliament has "decided to fight for our proposal."
The negotiating position was adopted despite the fact that it is not clear what funding will be available for Horizon 2020, after heads of state failed to reach agreement on the overall budget for 2014 -2020 last week.
"It will be a fist fight, it won't be a happy negotiation," warned rapporteur Philippe Lamberts MEP (Greens-BE), saying that heads of state and government will "have a problem" if rumours that they are considering cutting the proposed Horizon 2020 budget by as much as fifty per cent, to €40 billion - €10 billion less than the current R&D programme Framework Programme 7 - turn out to be true.
"The Commission proposes €80 billion, our proposal is €100 billion," said Riera Madurell. If the Council doesn't accept Parliament's proposal, it will have to explain, "very clearly why - and will have to back this up with proper documentation," Riera Madurell said, noting that MEPs have based their opinion on macro-economic forecasts, which show what a "well-funded Horizon 2020 would mean for growth and job creation in the future."
"It would be a terrible sign to the international financial markets if the EU committed to spending €1000 billion over the coming years while dedicating less than a tenth of this to sustainable economic growth", rapporteur Christian Ehler MEP (EPP-DE) said.
Cut agriculture not R&D
Instead of proposing cuts to research and innovation, Member States should take a look at the EU's "nineteenth century style" agricultural subsidies, said Lamberts.
Riera Madurell stressed Horizon 2020 is the "smart option." Europeans can't compete in terms of price and costs in today's globalised world, but have to compete "in terms of quality, ideas and efficiency," she said, "This means innovation and research and the capacity to turn research into new products."
The new EU budget should include a "considerable increase in research and innovation funding compared to the funding level of 2013," MEPs say. If this stance is confirmed by the Parliament's plenary session, which is expected to happen next year, MEPs will have a mandate to negotiate a final proposal with the Council of Ministers. "The Parliament has the possibility of rejecting the budget," said rapporteur Maria da Graca Carvalho MEP (EPP-PT), pointing to the roll-over budget mechanism that would kick in if no agreement on the EU's long-term budget is reached.
A larger role for SMEs
The ITRE committee calls for a larger role for SMEs in Horizon 2020, with MEPs voting in favour of an increase from fifteen per cent to twenty per cent of overall spending to be targeted at SMEs. The amendments emphasise the involvement of industry, and particularly SMEs, in the innovation cycle, says Carvalho.
Jurgen Creutzmann MEP (ALDE-DE), who is leading a pro-SME campaign on behalf of the European liberals and democrats, said that SMEs "are the real engine of innovation in Europe." Under the Parliament's proposals, a new SME instrument is set to receive €3.3 billion, Creutzmann said.
European Institute of Innovation and Technology
MEPs agree with the European commission that the European Institute of Innovation and Technology's (EIT) budget should increase, said rapporteur Marisa Matias MEP (GEU/NGL-PT). "The EIT was underfinanced," Matias said, saying the current budget of "just €300 million" is not enough for it to reach its ambitious goal of closing the gap between research, education and entrepreneurial activities by creating Knowledge Innovation Communities (KICs) across Europe. "We increased the budget of the EIT ten-fold," she said, describing the EIT one of the EU's "most efficient instruments."
To date, the EIT's three KICs), Climate-KIC, EIT ICT Labs and KIC InnoEnergy, operate in twelve EU countries with around 200 partners. MEPs voted in favour of new KICs which are to be established under Horizon 2020. Matias went on to say that the new proposals aim to link the EIT to "innovation regions." Other proposals include changes to the governance of the EIT, including annual activity reports which are to be presented to the European Parliament.
Simplification
The greatest clamour for change in Horizon 2020 has been for a simplification of procedures compared to the over-weaning bureaucracy of its predecessor FP7. The new proposals seek to simplify procedures, introduce common rules that apply across the programme and to simplify the reimbursement system. The new reimbursement system would make greater use of lump sums and flat rates, to make it easier to take part in the programme, MEPs say.
"[..] we very strongly felt that the Parliament had to live up to stakeholders' expectations after the Commission and the Council had failed them," Ehler said, pointing to the reimbursement system. MEPs say maintaining an option to declare full-costs for all types of participants, as is the case in FP7, will allow Europe to keep competing globally. "European universities, businesses and research organisations - and now also the ITRE committee of the European Parliament - stand united behind this claim," Ehler stressed.
Stem cell rules to stay the same
MEPs have voted to maintain the rules on stem cell research that apply under FP7. This means that projects using human embryonic stem cells can be funded with EU money, but only if they are approved under the law of the Member State where the research takes place.
Researchers and patient groups had feared that proposals by a minority of MEPs to cut embryonic stem cell funding in Horizon 2020 would threaten the development of safe, effective and well-regulated cell therapies - and the creation of an economically important regenerative medicine sector.
Large scale projects
The international nuclear fusion reactor in France (ITER) should get its own funding, MEPs say, "without undermining other Horizon 2020 projects or established Union programmes."
In a resolution earlier this month, the European Parliament's plenary session demanded the budget for large-scale infrastructure projects such as ITER, Europe's Global Positioning System Galileo and the Earth observation project GMES should not be funded out of the Horizon 2020 budget.
Research in less-developed regions
There are significant disparities across Europe in research and innovation performance which need to be addressed through twinning and networking initiatives, and by linking the policies of Horizon 2020 with those of the cohesion funds, MEPs say. Universities in richer countries and those in less-developed member states should be encouraged to team up and apply for funding together, allowing a less-developed institution to benefit from the expertise and good name of its more-renowned counterpart.
"If you don't take the geographical component into account then you're neglecting things," said Carvalho. Excellence can apply to small SMEs and small research groups, not only to big players. "Just because they're smaller - that doesn't mean they can't also be excellent at what they do," Carvalho said.
No time to lose
Officials say MEPs do not exclude the possibility of a fast-track first reading agreement, which means lawmakers would start negotiating informally with the Council of Ministers in January 2013 - which will then be led by the Irish Presidency. MEPs have based their amendments on percentages, rather than actual numbers, making it possible to reach an agreement on Horizon 2020 without a firm budget in place.
This could result in a direct vote on the final compromise in a plenary session of the European Parliament, instead of just the current ITRE position. It is expected that the Irish Presidency will push for a deal with MEPs ahead of a meeting of research ministers in May 2013. However, lawmakers might be tempted to delay decision making to force national governments to increase the budget. With Horizon 2020 set to kick-off in 2014, there is little time to lose