Six major European research organisations - the G6 - published a joint White Paper on the priorities they wish to see in the design of the next EU Framework Programme on Research and Innovation (FP10). The statement reflects the outcome of a high-level dialogue that the G6 organised at Ringberg Castle (Bavaria) from April 17 to 19, 2023. The G6 invited representatives from the national governments of France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, from the EU Commission as well as science experts to discuss the future of European research and the strategic imperatives for the next EU Framework Programme.
© Axel Griesch / MPG
Against the backdrop of a wide range of geopolitical, socioeconomic, and environmental challenges, the statement affirms the crucial role of fundamental science and research excellence in leading Europe towards sustainable development and innovation. Facing an increasingly fierce worldwide competition, high ambitions are needed in shaping a strong and cohesive European research landscape with enhanced capabilities to respond to crises and to achieve technological sovereignty.
The G6 calls for efficient and innovative ways to collaborate with international partners - with a particular focus on the United Kingdom and Switzerland as indispensable powerhouses - and to deal on a large scale with the fundamental energy transition. "Europe needs to be bold in setting up international networks of excellence involving the best scientists worldwide", Martin Stratmann, President of the Max Planck Society, explained.
Highlighting the significance of research excellence and disruptive innovation as well as of science-informed public policies, the G6 also calls for a better coordination of national and EU funding mechanisms to develop the landscape of research infrastructures in a sustainable and future-oriented way. Overall, these objectives must be reflected in a crisis-proof and ambitious EU budget for research and innovation that provides balanced support to both frontier research and targeted research.
The G6 network unites six large multidisciplinary European Research Performing Organisations with a total annual budget of 15.6 billion euros and over 140,000 employees: the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, the Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren, the Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, and the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.
