Nordic university leaders urge EU to prioritise research funding
Press release 2. october 2026
Leaders from more than 70 Nordic universities gathered in Brussels on 28–29 September.
They met with politicians and officials from the European Commission and Parliament and raised concerns that the final budget for the next framework programme could fall below the Commission’s proposed €175 billion as the national governments seek a compromise in the Council.
The Nordic university leaders are calling on national policymakers to safeguard investment in research and innovation as negotiations continue on Europe’s next research framework programme, Horizon Europe for 2028–2034.
They warn that declining success rates already leave excellent research proposals unfunded, while inflation and rising research costs erode the value of available funding.
“Europe expects research and innovation to strengthen competitiveness and help solve major societal challenges. Those ambitions must be backed by investment. Leaving excellent research unfunded means losing knowledge, ideas and opportunities that Europe urgently needs,” says Rasmus Antoft, Rector of Roskilde University and chair of Nordic University Association.
The call builds on the Nordic Rectors’ Conferences’ joint statement from May, urging the EU to prioritise research and innovation to prevent Europe from falling further behind in the global competition for knowledge and skills.
Specifically, the university leaders call for:
- Allocating €220 billion to FP10, as proposed in the European Parliament’s draft report.
- Funding more excellent research proposals to address declining success rates.
- Adjusting for inflation and rising research costs to safeguard FP10’s value and attractiveness.
- Exploring the future role of the “Seal of Excellence” with research funders, including its potential to attract alternative funding.
