The Swedish Research Council has given a mixed response to the proposals made by the European Commission in November last year for Horizon 2020, the successor to the Framework 7 programme.
In a document submitted to the Swedish government and published on 26 January, VR said it welcomed the proposal to merge the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) with the Innovation Programme (CIP) into a single framework. VR also welcomed the proposal to increase the budget for Framework 7 by around 50 per cent for Horizon 2020, as well as the decision to have three funding streams.
However, within the excellence stream, VR said it was imperative that the independence of the European Research Council must be protected. VR also criticised the proposal for not making the societal challenges funding stream clear enough.
VR has also welcomed the proposal to simplify the application process for Horizon 2020 – but cautions that this process must be politically monitored.