European Associations Urge Higher Research Funding
A coalition of 86 groups demands increased backing for the 2028-2034 FP10 framework to bolster regional competitiveness.
Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Energy
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A coalition of 86 European associations has issued a joint declaration calling on European Union institutions to boost funding for the upcoming FP10 research program. This request aims to bridge the competitiveness gap between the European Union and global leaders like the United States and China.
Why it matters
The signatories are seeking to address stalled productivity growth by leveraging research funding to secure private and national co-investment. This push for increased backing in the 2028-2034 budget cycle follows recommendations from the Draghi report regarding Europe's economic competitiveness.
The Draghi report on European Competitiveness specifies an annual investment requirement of €800 billion to close the innovation gap. While the total budget for the FP10 research and innovation framework is currently pending for the 2028-2034 cycle, proponents are pushing for strengthened industry-driven public-private partnerships under Pillar II.
The players
European Union
A political and economic union of member states that determines research funding frameworks and competitiveness policy.
The details
The associations propose that the FP10 framework operate in close alignment with the European Competitiveness Fund to maximize impact. By prioritizing industry-driven public-private partnerships—collaborations where public entities provide initial seed funding to lower risk for commercial investors—signatories aim to replicate the successes noted in the Horizon 2020 evaluation. This structure is intended to ensure that every euro of public research spending triggers additional private and national investment.
Timeline
2028-2034 marks the target budget period for the FP10 research and innovation framework.
The Tech Race
This initiative follows the precedent set by the Horizon 2020 evaluation, which demonstrated how public research spending successfully leverages external capital. The signatories are positioning their proposal to counteract the innovation and productivity advantages currently held by the United States and China.
This proposal targets the 2028-2034 budget cycle, meaning current industry operations and technology development pipelines will not see immediate changes. Stakeholders in sectors reliant on EU research grants should monitor the European Commission's upcoming budgetary negotiations for final funding allocations.
The takeaway
The effectiveness of this call will be determined by whether the European Union incorporates these funding requests into the final 2028-2034 budget proposal. Observers should track the upcoming European Competitiveness Fund debates to see how these industry-driven priorities are integrated.
Further reading
Explore deeper insights into institutional research policy at Energy.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Energy Storage Europe.
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