In a statement published on 5 January 2027, the League of European Research Universities (LERU) reacts to the European Commission’s Competitiveness Compass, which was published on 29 January 2025. LERU Secretary-General Prof. Kurt Deketelaere calls the Competitiveness Compass an “unprecedented attack on the ERC’s autonomy” and takes issues with the lack of a concrete plan for an FP10.
LERU points out that the Competitiveness Compass states that the European Research Council and the European Innovation Council need to operate in their respective domains along the same strategic interests and cooperate more closely to achieve results. The association finds the EC Communication’s line on basic research “similarly concerning”.
LERU points out that this is in stark contrast with the political guidelines released by EC President von der Leyen in July 2024 which stated that research and innovation would be at the heart of Europe’s economy and that funding for groundbreaking fundamental research and scientific excellence would increase.
https://www.leru.org/news/competitiveness-compass-must-find-a-place-for-basic-research