EU-LIFE's vision for European R&D Funding Programme

EU-LIFE, the alliance of 13 leading European Life Science Research Institutes, including Babraham Institute, announced its key priorities for the next Framework Programme for Research and Development (FP9) today. 
 
The EU-LIFE position paper highlights key priorities for the Framework Programme 9, which will follow Horizon 2020, and stresses the need for strong investment in basic research and initiatives to encourage technology transfer. 
 
Jo Bury, Chairman of EU-LIFE and Managing Director of the Flanders Institute of Biotechnology says: “Excellent science and professional technology transfer are essential for the well-being of citizens in the future. We have seen that some approaches were successful in the past, where deep scientific insights have led to major breakthroughs in applied science as we see today in immuno-oncology for instance.”
 
Over 8.7M€ has been currently awarded to the Babraham Institute from the European Commission’s (EC) Research & Innovation Programme Horizon 2020. However the benefits to the Institute extend well beyond the funding and include access to expertise, talent and technologies. With an uncertain future for the UK, it is essential that we continue to engage in shaping the next iteration of this programme – FP9. As members of EU-LIFE, today we have published our priorities for FP9.
 
Prof. Michael Wakelam, Babraham Institute Director says “Europe’s science programme enables us to carry out excellent research that would not be possible without its support and the opportunities it provides for outstanding cross-Europe collaborative working. Our EU-LIFE publication highlights the critical need for the EC and national governments to continue funding excellent basic research – without that fundamental knowledge there is nothing to commercialise”.
 
EU-LIFE calls for excellent scientific research to be prioritised as the major booster of innovation by significantly increasing the funding of the highly successful European Research Council. The aim is to raise the potential for disruptive innovation, collaborative, open-ended research across Europe and these areas should continue to be a focus of the next framework programme.
 
It will be crucial to initiate a clear deviation from current push for short-term impact of research by clearly supporting all technology readiness levels (TRLs) in the innovation cycle and building a strong, silo-breaking approach of knowledge and technology transfer.
FP9 should also support and strengthen the pool of talent and infrastructure that is at the heart of ground-breaking research & innovation.
 
Marta Agostinho, EU-LIFE Coordinator says: “Horizon 2020 has created a new paradigm in research and innovation. We are happy to support the drive for more and better impact of R&I in Europe, but there still are key aspects to be improved if we want excellent research to address crucial societal challenges in fields such as health, environment or social equality,”
 
For more information, please contact EU-LIFE’s Coordinator Marta Agostinho: marta.agostinho@eu-life.eu.