The aim of the campaign is to ensure that Europe remains competitive in this important area of science, especially against China and the US. The campaign founders, Dr Nathalie Conrad from KU Leuven and Antonia Weberling from the University of Cambridge, want to see an increase in the Horizon Europe budget for the period 2021 to 2027 – a budget already approved by the EU Parliament on 10 November. According to Weberling, the budget was cut by 36 billion euros. A final decision on the Horizon Europe budget is now planned for 10 December.
“Europe needs research and research cooperation – this has never been clearer than in 2020, the year of COVID-19,” said Professor Beate Schücking, Rector of Leipzig University. The Rescue Horizon Europe campaign (http://www.rescue-horizon-europe.org/) is already supported by over 1600 scientists from all over Europe, including seven Nobel Laureates, as well as various universities and academic umbrella organisations.
The initiative has already achieved some success: Instead of 40 billion euros, the budget for the European Union’s scientific research framework programme has only been cut by 36 billion euros. Now the campaign founders and signatories are hoping that the EU Parliament will once again significantly increase the budget. To this end, proposals have been drawn up together with several Members of the European Parliament from various parties and submitted to the EU Parliament and the EU Commission. All hopes are now pinned on the day of the decision on 10 December.