While the formal adoption of the new programmes slowly but surely progresses, implementation has started in parallel and first challenges appeared.
On 16 March 2021, the Council of the EU followed up on the compromise reached with the European Parliament (EP) back in December 2020 and adopted its position on the Horizon Europe programme Regulation (see SwissCore article). It is expected that the EP will approve the Council’s position at first reading in its plenary session at the end of April and thereby will formally adopt the new framework programme for research and innovation 2021-2027. The programme will come into effect retroactively from 1 January 2021. In the meantime, the implementation of the new programme is already under way, and in mid-March the Horizon Europe strategic plan was adopted (see SwissCore article). At the same time, however, the still ongoing preparation of the Horizon Europe work programmes for 2021-2022 led to some surprises, as suddenly restrictions for the UK, Switzerland and Israel started to appear in the area of quantum and space research under the framework programme’s Cluster 4 on industry, digital and space.
The restrictions came as a surprise not least because the affected countries have been working closely with their EU counterparts for many years. In addition, the restrictions in space research would exclude two founding members of the European Space Agency – Switzerland and the UK – from working with their EU colleagues under Horizon Europe. The League of European Research Universities (LERU), which includes several leading universities in the UK and Switzerland, expressed concern in a press release from 24 March, “about the ‘EU First’ attitude that seems to drive the European Commission’s approach to some R&I partnerships, initiatives or draft work programmes, especially in areas involving new technology, security and space.” LERU recalled that the countries concerned are strong R&I performers, share EU values and have been trustworthy partners for decades. Thus, they should not be excluded. LERU also makes the point that, if the EU plans to strengthen its competitive position in new technology areas or reach the European Green Deal objectives, cooperation with strong R&I partners will be needed: “Which strong R&I countries are a better first choice than those you have been working with for a long time, that are trustworthy and that are, since a long time, part of the European Research Area, i.e. the UK, Switzerland and Israel?”
Also Science Europe argues in a statement of 25 March that the “collaboration with the EU’s closest geographical partners, that share common European objectives, is essential and must be protected”. For the umbrella association of European research funding organisations, it is clear that new restrictions would damage what was built over the course of many years, especially in strategic areas like space and quantum research: “Restrictions in Pillar II‘s eligibility criteria would disrupt current essential collaborations and could weaken future consortia and projects.” While Switzerland was added again to the quantum topics in the draft work programme, the question of participation is still not resolved overall, for instance in the area of space research.
March saw also the start of the new Erasmus+ programme. Based on the political compromise reached in late 2020, the Council published its position on the new Erasmus+ regulation on 26 March. The EU Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport 2021-2027 will be officially adopted once also the EP will have approved it, which is seen as a formality. The compromise between the Council and the EP from late 2020 includes all three new initiatives proposed by the EC: The European Universities Initiative (EUI), Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) and DiscoverEU. The Council followed the EP in key areas, giving more prominence to inclusion, and allowing for higher budgets for adult education and vocational education and training (VET).
Already on 25 March, the EC had adopted the 2021 annual work programme under the new Erasmus+ programme. The budget ceiling for 2021 was defined at €2.85 billion. On the same date, the EC also published the general Call for proposals 2021 and the Programme Guide. With ‘learning mobility of individuals’, the new programme intends to boost international mobility. Higher education institutions will be allowed to use up to 20% of funds awarded for each mobility project for outgoing mobility of students and staff to institutions in any Partner Country, including Switzerland. Also, in the case of VET staff and learners mobility, organisations can send participants to Partner Countries like Switzerland. The CoVE initiative becomes more open, any public or private organisation active in VET and established in a Programme Country or in any Partner Country can be involved as full partner, affiliated entity or associated partner. At the same time, applications still have to be submitted by entities from Programme Countries.
There are no calls yet under the European Universities Initiative, as the initiative will first be evaluated before it will be relaunched again. Thus, it still remains uncertain whether the EUI will become open to universities in Partner Countries, like in the case of Switzerland.