Puff of smoke

Horizon Europe’s proposed budget is an affront to its sublime goals

This Framework programme could have been the one. Long before its name was even whispered in the corridors of the European Commission, researchers had already put their demands for Horizon Europe on the table. Industry representatives urged the EU to up its spending on science. National ministers voiced their agreement. There was even the influential Lamy report that echoed what universities, researchers and innovators had been saying all along: research needs more money.

The budget suggested by Pascal Lamy, a former director of the World Trade Organization, was €160 billion. This sum, double the size of the 2014-20 programme Horizon 2020, was backed by influential organisations, such as the European University Association. The European Parliament called for at least €120bn.