On 23 October, 42 Nobel laureates and 5 Fields medallists warned against cutting the future EU research budget, in an open letter addressed to EU Heads of State or Government and Presidents of EU institutions. This appeal comes ahead of a special European summit on 22 and 23 November, where leaders will decide the overall EU budget for 2014 till 2020. Researchers from various scientific fields and different parts of Europe immediately responded to the open letter by launching a petition for securing the EU research and innovation budget. The ERC Scientific Council is overwhelmed by the resonance the open letter had in the research community and in the media. The letter was published by over 20 top newspapers across Europe. The online petition has collected over 40,000 signatures in the first day, and the Scientific Council expects that many more researchers will rally to support this call, initiated by the younger generation.
Professor Helga Nowotny, President of the European Research Council, reacted: "This strong message to the leaders of Europe confirms the importance of the ERC Scientific Council's strategy to find, fund and empower the best researchers. It is therefore vital that the future EU Research Programme 'Horizon 2020' - and in particular the European Research Council - will be strengthened to achieve further scientific and technological breakthroughs, leading to greater innovation in the future. We urge political leaders to listen to the unanimous voice of Europe’s researchers, both the most eminent ones and the next generation, and what they have to say to address the current economic crisis."
26 Oct 2012