Informatics Europe response to the European Commission proposal to change the Horizon 2020 budget
On December 11, 2014, Informatics Europe sent the following letter to the relevant EU authorities in response to the proposal of the President of the European Commission for a significant change of policy and budget for the Horizon 2020 support program for research and innovation:
President of the European Commission
President of the European Council
President of the European Parliament
Commissioner for Research and Innovation of the European Commission
Director General of the Directorate for Research and Innovation of the European Commission
As President of Informatics Europe---the association of computer science departments and research laboratories in Europe---I am charged to write to you to express our concerns that the recent discussion about changes in research funding under Horizon 2020 might weaken the initiatives in all sectors of science, and in particular in Information and Communication Science and Technology. We believe that any weakening of the EU budget that would reduce the ability to support long-term research would endanger Europe's ability in the future to nurture innovation and sustain competition.
This is especially true for our sector. Although Information and Communication Technologies are already at the heart of the society we are creating for our future, long-term research investments are crucial to fuel short-term developments with the results of high-risk research efforts that investigate radical innovations that would lead to truly secure cyber-infrastructures upon which the future society may safely rely. By weakening its RTD budget, and in particular its long-term research support, Europe will impoverish its human capital and will miss the boat of innovation and competition.
Informatics Europe expresses at the same time its willingness to collaborate at all levels to improve Horizon 2020 initiatives in ICT at all levels and to contribute to making the investments as fruitful as possible.
On behalf of the Executive Board and the members of Informatics Europe, I urge you strongly to to take our concerns in due consideration.
Carlo Ghezzi
President of Informatics Europe