Budget, Balance and Speed Should Underpin Future Horizon Europe Programme, EU Commissioner Zaharieva Says 2026

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An ambitious budget, a balance between flexibility and predictability, and faster procedures should be the three main principles underpinning the European Union’s future research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva said in an address to participants at the European Research and Innovation Days 2026, taking place in Brussels.
“I believe there are at least three key principles that should form the foundation of the future ambitious programme. We need to demonstrate ambition in terms of the budget. The second is striking a balance between flexibility and predictability. And we also need speed,” Zaharieva said.
She expressed regret over the proposed reduction of almost 10% in the budget of the standalone Horizon Europe programme compared with the latest proposal presented as part of the negotiating package. Zaharieva described the current moment as crucial and called on representatives of the scientific community to continue raising awareness among national governments about the importance of the programme.
She stressed that Horizon Europe delivers not only excellent scientific research but also high-quality jobs, competitiveness, security, and the protection of European values. The programme plays a key role in developing Europe’s research and innovation potential, and the EU should be proud of what it has achieved over the past 40 years, the Commissioner noted.
If Europe is to achieve its target of investing 3% of GDP in research and development, an additional EUR 565 billion will be needed. The EU’s main competitors and leading countries in research and innovation invest significantly more than 3%, she emphasized.
Among the necessary changes, the Commissioner highlighted the simplification of administrative procedures, reducing the length of applications and work programmes, avoiding overly prescriptive calls for proposals, and moving towards more open procedures that give researchers greater freedom.
“The number one priority is to shorten the time it takes to award funding and to reduce the time it takes for beneficiaries to receive the funds,” she stressed.
The Commissioner expressed hope that this would be achieved during the forthcoming negotiations, allowing the first calls for proposals under the next Horizon Europe programme to be launched in early 2028.

Budget, Balance and Speed Should Underpin Future Horizon Europe Programme, EU Commissioner Zaharieva Says 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-11-11 06:40:00

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