Cities call on the EU to invest more in science
Barcelona, with support from Madrid, Berlin, Milan, Munich and Stockholm, has written a letter to the EU calling for more investment in research and innovation. The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the need for a strong scientific ecosystem, able to centre research efforts for solutions to the future problems facing society.
The demand was made in a letter from the cities’ mayors to the presidents of the European Commission, the European Council, the European Parliament and various parliamentary groups, the Commissioner’s Office for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, and EU representatives from member states.
The demands are:
- To increase the budget for the European research and innovation programme for the 2021-2027 period, known as Horizon Europe. The cities are calling for the programme to get at least 120,000 million euros.
- To continue the Horizon 2020 framework programme for funding research (due to end in this December) and the new Horizon Europe programme starting in 2021, ensuring that current lines of research are not affected by the Covid-19 crisis.
- To reaffirm and step up the European investment commitment to the Marie Sklodowska-Curie programmes for grants prioritising support for women, young people and vulnerable groups, and the Erasmus+ programme for doctoral students.
Barcelona continues its efforts to invest in public policies in the realm of science and knowledge. The Barcelona Science Plan launched in 2018 is being renewed for the next few years with the Barcelona Science Plan 2020-2023, to achieve 15 goals through 51 different actions.
