LERU, the League of European Research Universities, and YERUN, the association of Young European Research Universities, have written a joint letter to Commission President-designate Ursula von der Leyen. The letter was published on 29 October 2024. In their letter, LERU and YERUN welcome the idea of developing a policy-based Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and find the concept of a European Competitiveness Fund interesting, but also see some challenges and provide recommendations on the new approach to the MFF, and the future of EU R&I funding in that approach.
The two associations are concerned about the future of the Framework Programme, and strongly underline the need to keep “one strong and autonomous FP” as well as the Erasmus programme in the next MFF period. The letter also calls for R&I investment to be increased, repeating the call from the Draghi report and the report of the High-Level Expert Group on FP10, and for providing a dedicated budget of at least €200 billion for FP10. LERU and YERUN also strongly support the call to double the funding for the ERC and for guaranteeing keeping the ERC’s bottom-up character.
https://www.leru.org/news/letter-to-ec-president-ursula-von-der-leyen