58 Amendments of Christophe CLERGEAU related to 2024/2109(INI)
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas investments in R&D are essential for EU societal progress, innovation and competitiveness; whereas the report on the Future of European Competitiveness (the Draghi report) and the report by the Commission Expert Group on the Interim Evaluation of Horizon Europe (the Heitor report) recommended a budget for the 10th framework programme for research and innovation (FP10) of EUR 200 billion and EUR 220 billion respectively;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the Letta report proposes the establishment of a “Fifth Freedom” to encompass research, innovation and education as a new dimension of the Single Market as the four original freedoms are fundamentally based on 20th-century theoretical principals.
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Recalls that we are at a crucial moment for R&I, and President Ursula Von der Leyen stated that Europe needs to put “research and innovation at the heart of our economy” during the presentation of her program in the European Parliament in July 2024 for her second term as president of the European Commission.
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 a (new)
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1a. Notes that the Draghi, Letta and Heitor reports put R&I in a central place to achieve European competitiveness and stress the urgency to act not to fall behind. Thus, a strong commitment is needed to achieve a future Framework Programme that constitutes a crucial contribution to the competitiveness of Europe and the well-being of the entire European project.
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that the Draghi and the Heitor reports are a wake-up call for Europe to face global competition and the significant rise of Chinese science in recent years; welcomes the higher success rate of HEU compared to Horizon 2020 (H2020); appreciates HEU’s responsiveness in crises, such as COVID-19 and geopolitical challenges, but regrets not only the lack of additional funding but also the continuous funding cuts , which compromises original priorities; notes that national spending for research should not be cut with reference to EU research funding; highlights that a joint effort of European and national funding for research and innovation is needed;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recalls the need for better articulation between smart specialization strategies and Horizon Europe in order to better mobilize local and regional ecosystems of R&I and contribute to tackle innovation divide; salutes the efforts to connect ecosystems created within the framework of the EIE/European Innovation Ecosystems component and welcomes the establishment of the Regional Innovation Valleys (RIV);
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Alerts on the persisting innovation divide through Europe, between Member States but also between regions from the same Member State; acknowledges the excessive concentration of funding on a few key actors and research ecosystems; considers that these disparities are undermining the European research area, the trust in European research policies, and their efficiency;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Insists on the absolute necessity that Member States adopt concrete commitments to reach a target of 3% of GDP spending by 2035, including through significative increases of public direct funding;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Is deeply convinced that EU spending on science, research and innovation is the best investment in our common European future and for increasing societal progress and competitiveness; agrees with Mr Draghi that all public R&D spending in the EU should be better coordinated at EU level and that a reformed and strengthened FP is crucial in achieving this;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Recalls that, while acknowledging concerns about the perceived complexity and bureaucracy of some Horizon Europe requirements, gender equality measures are a critical mechanism for fostering inclusivity, which in turn delivers higher excellence research results.
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that a large number of beneficiaries do not consider the introduction of lump-sum funding to be a simplificationthe introduction of lump- sum funding received different assessment from different beneficiaries; also notes that simplification efforts at EU level should be implemented with coherence at national level;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Concludes that Pillar 2 remains too complex; believes that the implementation of this pillar should be improved, simplified and streamlined; notes that the number of instruments involved, the unsuccessful implementation of missions, and the many budgetary shifts have resulted in unnecessary complexity which discourages applicants, and especially newcomers, from participating;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Concludes that Pillar 2 remains too complex; believes that the implementation of this pillar should be improved, simplified and streamlined; notes that the number of instruments involved, the unsuccessful implementation of missions, and the many budgetary shifts have resulted in unnecessary complexity which discourages applicants, and especially newcomers, from participating;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Suggests to use a modern concept of innovation and that comprehensively consider the various facets of innovation, for example, social innovation.
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6 a (new)
Subheading 6 a (new)
8c. Notes that EIT contributes to strengthening links between Higher Education and Business closing the ‘skills gap’ and that synergies should be explored with the academies introduced in recent EU legislation (e.g. Net Zero Industry Act, Critical Raw Materials Act, Cybersecurity Package).
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6 b (new)
Subheading 6 b (new)
8d. Moreover, highlights that the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) activities contribute to reducing the European innovation capacity divide. Recalls that more synergies to bridge the innovation divide should be created between the EIT and other actions such as the EU Preparatory Action 'Innovation for place-based transformation'1a _________________ 1a https://place-based- innovation.ec.europa.eu/projects- 0/preparatory-action-2024-2026_en
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6 c (new)
Subheading 6 c (new)
8b. Recognises the vital role of universities as drivers of place-based innovation.
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the fact that there has been an increase in the number of participants, from widening countries, in HEU; Acknowledges that the innovation divide persists despite a slight decrease in the disparities in innovation performance across Europe. Notes that Widening should be taken into account by region, not by member state.
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Notes that a thriving European innovation ecosystem requires strong and well-connected place-based innovation ecosystems. Better connected European innovation ecosystem will be essential for enhancing the competitiveness of Europe, its resilience and strategic autonomy. Collaboration among territorial ecosystems enables European regions to leverage their combined strengths to develop innovative solutions more efficiently. This collaboration also accelerates the commercialisation and scaling of technologies, bolstering the EU’s competitiveness also globally.
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recalls that the Commission communication entitled ‘EU Missions two years on: assessment of progress and way forward’1a did not positively evaluate missions and concluded that missions had failed on core objectives such as crowding in external funding; nevertheless considers that EU Missions are a new and innovative tool and that their achievement, in light of their implementation timeline, are positive and justify going forward with developing their activities and research programs; _________________ 1a https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal- content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX%3 A52023DC0457
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recalls that the Commission communication entitled ‘EU Missions two years on: assessment of progress and way forward’ did not positively evaluate missions and concluded that missions had failed on core objectives such as crowding in external funding;concluded that missions need to improve their governance, impact and crowding in external funding to live up to the potential of the concept to tackle ambitious societal challenges.
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Supports the Heitor Report call for the need to “elevate” the “political ownership” of the current (and future) Missions and Partnerships, in order to facilitate the coordination among different DG’s and national administrations, as well as to attract funding beyond the framework programme.
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Highlights the need to strengthen the science communication role of the missions. This will bring research results closer to society and help address the challenge of mistrust in R&I, while simultaneously helping gain societal approval for public investments in R&I.
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Although some efforts have already been made, regrets that synergies between the European Innovation Council (EIC), the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) and the European Research Council are not enough developed.
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls on the Commission to restore without delay EIC autonomy and agility in order to get rid of existing complex processes leading to lower implementation;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Notes that inclusive gender equality in R&I is a crucial driver of a sustainable research environment that lays the foundation for high standards of the research profession in the European Research Area (ERA) with improved career prospects and working conditions. Without effective measures to promote inclusive gender equality in Europe, research quality and competitiveness suffer, hindering potential scientific advancement and resulting in the loss of valuable talent.
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13c. Significant advances have been made in the framework of Horizon Europe with Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) as an eligibility criterion, the gender dimension in the content of R&I as an award criterion by default across the programme, and gender balance as a ranking criterion for ex aequo proposals. Recent analyses confirm that the GEP eligibility criterion has had a catalytic effect. Therefore, the Gender Equality Plans as eligibility criteria for funding should be kept in FP10 as a permanent and integral element of EU research funding requirements.
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)
Paragraph 13 d (new)
13d. Recognising that inclusive science is foundational to excellent science, calls on the Commission to safeguard the requirements for sex and gender consideration in FP10 and further strengthen intersectional considerations; build upon existing policies to enhance participation of women and other population groups in science; and to fund research aimed at closing the gender health gap and delivering innovations in women’s health.
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 e (new)
Paragraph 13 e (new)
13e. Considers that gender as a research topic from an intersectional perspective is essential for understanding the development of our gendered societies, addressing current societal challenges such as anti-gender discourse in Europe, and identifying effective solutions.
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 f (new)
Paragraph 13 f (new)
13f. Prioritising inclusive gender equality provisions in Framework Programme 10 will enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of the ERA. By embedding inclusive gender equality in R&I policies, we maximise the potential of diverse talents, ensuring that Europe remains at the forefront of scientific excellence. Promoting inclusive gender equality serves as a catalyst for innovation, driving creative solutions and enhancing the relevance of R&I outputs. The higher productivity and innovative outcomes produced by diverse teams can translate into potential economic benefits for the EU and an additional competitive edge in the global research environment. Primarily, however, promoting gender equality makes the fundamental values of the EU a reality. Therefore, a steadfast commitment to inclusive gender equality is both a matter of social justice and a strategic investment in the future of research and economic prosperity in Europe
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 g (new)
Paragraph 13 g (new)
13g. Calls on the Commission to report on the Horizon Europe Key Impact Pathways, including the scientific, societal and economic/technological impacts, which analyse the overall societal impact of research and innovation projects in order to assess the Program's progress towards the achievement of its objectives.
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Insists on the need for strong political commitment to ensure adequate financial resources and a specified budget for FP10.
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls for FP10 to be a stand-alone EU programme dedicated to EU research excellence, with a substantially higher budget that is sufficient for achieving the 3 % GDP spending target and for funding at least 75 % of the excellent proposals submitted; recommends that FP10 focus on three core objectives: (i) advancing the European Research Area (ERA) with specific measures that address regional disparities and support under-represented Member States in their innovation capacities, (ii) creating a European competition of ideas, and (iii) supporting strategic, large-scale collaborative research initiatives; recommends that FP10 be structured in three parts, each addressing one of the three core objectives; further calls for full recognition of the place- based approach to research and innovation excellence;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Considers that sustained investments in R&I at both EU and national levels are important to ensure adequate national investments in R&I. Moreover, firmly believes the need to mobilise more private investments in R&I all over the Union.
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Considers crucial to keep funding basic research and applied research.
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. Recommends the improvement of synergies with cohesion funds. Also highlights to strengthen and coordinate synergies between innovation programmes managed by different administrations.
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)
Paragraph 14 d (new)
14d. Urges the Commission to launch from 2025 a task force to guarantee a better efficacy of the European Semester, in line with the Union’s share towards the 3% target, as clearly described in the Draghi and Heitor reports;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 e (new)
Paragraph 14 e (new)
14e. Notes that Horizon Europe has seen an increase in bureaucracy compared to Horizon 2020 and efforts for simplification should be taken for FP10 for the benefit of beneficiaries and the contribution of excellent research. However, simplification cannot erode the progress made in previous framework programs such as the advances achieved thanks to green and gender conditionalities.
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – point a – point ii
Paragraph 15 – point a – point ii
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – point a – point ii
Paragraph 15 – point a – point ii
ii. be less dominated by policy objectives;Recalls the need to keep policy objectives as guiding principles
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – point a – point iii
Paragraph 15 – point a – point iii
iii. contribute to EU priorities, butilding on the terms of science and innovation rather than on the terms of policymakers;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – point a – point iv a (new)
Paragraph 15 – point a – point iv a (new)
iva. include every two years a report to policy makers from the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Recommends that the objective of the part of FP10 on advancing the ERA be to build an excellent, unified ERA; underlines that this requires attracting talent, integrating newcomers, providing access to leading research and technology infrastructures, defending academic freedom and promoting gender mainstreaming, supporting joint early research programmes with national funders, and developing European universities alliances into European scientific institutes;and regional funders, achieving identification and direct support to local and regional ecosystems of R&I and their initiatives, and developing European universities alliances into European scientific institutes; this new pillar should mobilize no less than 25% of the FP and aim to improve coordination between ERA and the European Education Area
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Calls for a strong ecosystem of research and technology infrastructures (RIs) throughout the Union as a fundamental prerequisite for excellent R&I to be performed in Europe.
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Believes that an expanded European Research Council (ERC) and European Innovation Council (EIC) should be at the heart of the part of FP10 dealing with a European competition of ideas and that this part should receive half of the FP10 budget; recommends that these programmes be designed so that they create a European, bottom-up funnel for innovation to develop quickly from fundamental science to innovation scale- up; considers that the EIC can only succeed if it can both offer blended finance as a single project and act with the same speed and agility as private actors on the venture capitalist market through a tailor-made legal entity for implementation; underlines that the strengthened autonomy and self- governance of both the ERC and the EIC are crucial to achieving this; holds the opinion that basic research should go beyond ERC and EIC and that funding basic research must also be considered when tackling the EU’s strategic objectives; is therefore convinced that the ultimate source of innovation is the creation of new information through basic research, which must coexist (with other forms of research) with an emphasis on high-risk breakthrough research and innovation;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Believes that an expanded European Research Council (ERC) and European Innovation Council (EIC) should be at the heart of the part of FP10 dealing with a European competition of ideas and that this part should receive half of the FP10 budget; recommends that these programmes be designed so that they create a European, bottom-up funnel for innovation to develop quickly from fundamental science to innovation scale- up; considers that the EIC can only succeed if it can both offer blended finance as a single project and act with the same speed and agility as private actors on the venture capitalist market through a tailor-made legal entity for implementation; underlines that the strengthened autonomy and self- governance of both the ERC and the EIC are crucial to achieving this;
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Believes that an expanded European Research Council (ERC), the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and European Innovation Council (EIC) should be at the heart of the part of FP10 dealing with a European competition of ideas and that this part should receive half of the FP10 budget; recommends that these programmes be designed so that they create a European, bottom-up funnel for innovation to develop quickly from fundamental science to innovation scale- up; considers that the EIC can only succeed if it can both offer blended finance as a single project and act with the same speed and agility as private actors on the venture capitalist market through a tailor-made legal entity for implementation; underlines that the strengthened autonomy and self- governance of both the ERC and the EIC are crucial to achieving this;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Urges the Commission to design the part of FP10 on strategic deployment such that it focuses on a limited number of pan-European research initiatives with 2040 set as the time horizon and which require cross-border collaboration due to the scale and complexity of the issue in question; believes that this part should consider that these initiatives could take the form of societal missions which address socio-economic and/or ecological challenges, technology missions to accelerese initiatives should be closely linked to main European challenges such as climate neutrality, the green and digital transitions, industrial sovereignty and competitiveness, health and well-being, European security and preparedness, combining technological and socio-economic challenges; believes thate the development of strategic technologies in Europe, or joint undertakings to securese initiatives could be set through direct programming, missions or joint investments by industry, Member Stsectoral privates and the EU to support research-based competitiveness and the resilience of key sectors inpublic actors, Member States and the European economyUnion; believes that all of these initiatives should receive a budget of between EUR 2.5 and 5 billion;
Amendment 322 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Notes that the allocation of at least 35% of the programme Horizon Europe expenditures to climate objectives served the general EU objective of mainstreaming climate actions into its sectoral policies and funds. Calls to ensure that FP10 pursues the effort to fund adequately science research and innovation that support the EU climate objectives
Amendment 324 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Considers that collaboration is key for excellent research and innovation and highlights that international collaboration should continue in the next FP10, as open as possible and as closed as necessary to tackle global challenges jointly.
Amendment 325 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Reiterates the need for sufficient funding for research projects that address societal challenges and that fall within the area of social sciences;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Recalls the important participation of SMEs in Horizon Europe and their central role in the European R&I ecosystem and highlights the need to maintain measures reinforce their presence in the next Framework Programme.
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
Paragraph 19 c (new)
19c. Calls for additional measures to reduce the geographic divide, making the programme more accessible for entities located in low-income countries and promoting interest and capacity for applying to the EIC for companies in less advanced regions.
Amendment 339 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
Paragraph 19 c (new)
19c. The programme should recognise the role of interdisciplinary research in addressing societal challenges, also including a better integration of Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts (SSHA).
Amendment 343 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 d (new)
Paragraph 19 d (new)
19d. Leverage the programme’s capacity to strengthen society’s trust in science. FP10 should provide more opportunities for the engagement of citizens and society as a whole, raising awareness of the role they can play in contributing to research activities.
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 d (new)
Paragraph 19 d (new)
19d. Urges the European Commission to increase efforts to boost women's involvement in high-risk innovation by expanding targeted initiatives such as Women TechEU and the Women Leadership Programme.
Amendment 359 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Notes that FP10 should take into account the use of AI as a way to foster European research development while identifying specific risks of an abusive use of AI in the scientific environment and the corresponding mitigation measures.