EAIC and the future of EU R&I

F.initiatives is a significant contributor to these recommendations, as a key EAIC member. F.initiatives has been pivotal in enhancing project management practices across R&I projects, demonstrating that effective project management significantly influences project performance and outcomes. We advocate for professional project management services within FP10, emphasizing a 100% funding rate for critical management activities.

Key Recommendations and Insights:

• Increasing the FP Budget: The EAIC calls for doubling the FP budget to €200 billion to support more high-quality proposals, crucial for addressing societal challenges like climate change and health crises.

• Clarifying Rules of Participation: Extend the Annotated Grant Agreement (AGA) with country-specific examples to aid understanding and improve the lump-sum funding approach with clear guidelines and streamlined financial evidence requirements.

• Guiding the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Promote trustworthy and transparent AI use in all project phases, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations like GDPR.

• Improving the Evaluation Process: Enhance expert selection and evaluation criteria to ensure high-quality evaluations, and hold consensus meetings for all calls and instruments to ensure balanced decisions.

• Recognizing Professional Project Management: Allow delegation or outsourcing of project management to professional organizations and introduce a 100% funding rate for essential project management activities.

• Supporting Early-Stage Start-Ups: Increase funding for market-oriented deep tech start-ups through grants and equity-based instruments, and enhance transparency and fairness in the EIC Accelerator evaluation process.

• Strengthening EU Partnerships: Encourage wide participation in partnerships to keep Europe at the technological forefront, and define common Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for partnerships to ensure broad input and participation.

• Maximizing Projects’ Impact: Introduce new funding tools for post-project dissemination and knowledge transfer to ensure long-term impact, and propose bridging projects to facilitate knowledge transfer to various sectors, including policymakers and civil society.

The EAIC Position Paper for FP10 offers a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at enhancing the efficiency, transparency, and impact of the EU R&I Framework Programme. By addressing the identified challenges and implementing the suggested improvements, the EU can better support high-quality proposals, foster innovation, and tackle pressing societal challenges. The call to double the FP budget to €200 billion underscores the need for substantial investment to maintain Europe’s competitiveness in the global R&I landscape.

Clarifying participation rules, particularly through detailed guidelines and consistent interpretation of the Annotated Grant Agreement, will help reduce administrative burdens and improve project implementation. The responsible use of AI can streamline various phases of the project lifecycle, while a refined evaluation process will ensure that the most impactful projects receive funding.

Acknowledging the importance of skilled project management, as advocated by F.initiatives, and ensuring proper backing for new start-ups is vital for the effective implementation and longevity of R&I projects.

Strengthening EU partnerships and maximizing the long-term impact of projects will require collaborative efforts and innovative funding mechanisms. By implementing these recommendations, the EU can create a more robust and inclusive R&I ecosystem, driving progress and addressing the critical issues facing society today. The EAIC remains committed to supporting these efforts and contributing to the continuous improvement of the Framework Programme, ensuring that Europe remains at the forefront of Research and Innovation.

The full report can be found here: EAIC Position paper