AppliA Europe, the European Association of home appliances manufacturers, urges the EU Institutions to make research, development and innovation (RD&I) a priority within the next Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027. The Association with all its members calls on the Council of the EU to raise the budget allocated to the Horizon Europe programme to at least 120 billion euro (in 2018 prices), of which at least 60% should be dedicated to the “Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness” pillar.
«We very much welcomed the EU Institutions’ efforts to reach a partial agreement on Horizon Europe. – they say from AppliA – This enabled to start the preparation for the implementation of the programme in time. The European innovation community is committed to be actively involved in a concrete co-creation process towards Horizon Europe’s successful implementation. However, the programme will need an adequate budget at the level of its ambitions. The European Parliament has already taken a stand to prioritise RD&I in the EU budget. Similarly, we encourage Member States to support a budget of at least 120 billion euro (in 2018 prices).»
In this way, according to the Association, Horizon Europe will be able to reach relevant targets, such as: boost Europe’s future growth, employment and competitiveness. As recognised in the European Industrial Strategy, RD&I is the real engine of growth. Getting a sufficient budget for Horizon Europe would not only mean the creation of up to 100,000 jobs in RD&I activities between 2021-2027, but also 11 euro of GDP in return for each 1 euro invested over 25 years.
Another fundamental goal of the program is to secure Europe’s seat amongst the frontrunners of the technological revolution. While the international competition for innovative solutions escalates, European RD&I expenditure remains relatively low compared to our global competitors.
«For such promises to be fulfilled – AppliA goes on – excellent cross-border collaborative RD&I with impact needs to be prioritised within Horizon Europe. EU Members States should allocate a budget share of at least 60% of Horizon Europe’s total budget to its pillar II – Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness. This pillar is the truly collaborative part of Horizon Europe, breaking silos to promote the flow of knowledge between public research and industry.» This Horizon Europe pillar II is crucial to build long-term trust-based partnerships amongst a wide variety of European RD&I actors, which is an indispensable element to strengthen Europe’s RD&I ecosystems and industrial value-chains. This would ensure the Industry’s uptake of novel technologies and scale up into new solutions, products and services, improving people’s well-being and quality of life, and increasing European competitiveness.
