Together with 110 European associations representing key European RD&I stakeholders, we, the European Technology Platform Photonics21, signed a joint statement calling for an ambitious next European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10). In the shaping of the next Framework Programme, we urge EU Institutions to significantly increase the current budget in view of FP10 and to make pan-European collaborative research the cornerstone of FP10, answering industrial needs by excellence.