image: The AERG logo
Credit: AERG
The Association of ERC Grantees (AERG) expresses grave concern over the future of fundamental research in Europe. It released a statement in which it urges European leaders to protect fundamental science by increasing the autonomy of the European Research Council (ERC). Current discussions of the successor framework programme to Horizon Europe suggest it will be “tightly connected” to a European Competitiveness Fund.
This greatly endangers the ERC’s autonomy and thus its mission.
As behavioural scientist Karin Roelofs, professor of experimental psychopathology at Radboud University in Nijmegen (The Netherlands) and vice president of AERG puts it, “Fundamental research is the immune system of a healthy, safe and equal society. While it may sound counterintuitive, fundamental, curiosity-driven research often leads to more breakthroughs than planned programmatic research. If the two compete within a single Competitiveness Fund, programmatic research will inevitably have the upper hand, because the more intuitive narrative of concretely planned research is easier to sell".
Cognitive psychologist Axel Cleeremans, research director of the Belgian Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique and President of AERG, adds: “This poses a serious threat to fundamental research, particularly within the current political climate. The European Commission is discussing the future of the ERC right now. European leaders must urgently protect the autonomy of the ERC by any means.”
Follows the full text of the statement:
The Association of ERC Grantees (AERG) urges European leaders to enhance the autonomy and the funding of the European Research Council to secure European competitiveness
Brussels — 2 June 2025 – The Association of ERC Grantees calls on European leaders to increase the autonomy and funding of the core EU agency supporting fundamental research - the European Research Council (ERC). Current discussions of the successor framework programme to Horizon Europe suggest it will be “tightly connected” to a European Competitiveness Fund. This greatly endangers the ERC’s unique position as a pan-European funder, one that is independent of any national and European political agenda and dedicated solely to scientific excellence.
Since 2007, the ERC has funded over 14K individuals to lead frontier research projects throughout Europe. Their work has created new knowledge, transformed lives, and spurred innovation in Europe. It has led to over 2200 patents (and other Intellectual Property Rights applications), over 400 spin-off companies, and no less than 14 ERC awardees have received a Nobel Prize. Commission President von der Leyen called the ERC “the crown jewel of the Horizon Europe framework programme” (Speech by President von der Leyen at the 70th anniversary of CERN, October 1, 2024: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_24_4982).
Continuation of this success story can only be guaranteed by 1) enhancing the ERC’s autonomy and 2) increasing its budget (See our statement "AERG Fully Supports the ERC Scientific Council's Call for a "Doubling of Spending on Research and Innovation" https://aerg.eu/news/the-aerg-fully-supports-the-erc-scientific-council-s-call-for-a-doubling-of-spending-on-research-and-innovation).
Autonomy is key: The ERC must be a stand-alone body with a dedicated permanent legal and institutional basis, to make it optimally functional for the next twenty years. Budget growth is particularly needed to keep up with a changing world in which bottom-up, excellence-based research is under threat.
The Association of ERC Grantees believes that the best and brightest minds in Europe will always contribute to shaping the future of Europe through their ideas, innovations, and applications. To do so, they need intellectual freedom, a research landscape that ensures quality and rigor, and the resources to support their work.
The ERC has played a key role in providing all these enabling factors, and it must continue to be led by scientists, for the common good. Fundamental curiosity-driven research provides the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and is therefore an essential pre-requisite for true competitiveness. Planned programmatic research also, of course, has its place. However, it is crucial to recognise the distinct and complementary natures of these two forms of research. If both types of research compete for resources within a single fund, the importance and organisation of fundamental
research risks being re-negotiated over and over again. This is a danger zone for any advanced society, because it shifts the focus to incremental rather than transformative impacts.
Now is the moment to update the ERC’s legal and operational structure, to strengthen it for the future and to guarantee its continued contribution to Europe’s competitiveness. The autonomy that the agency was granted in 2007 should be extended by establishing the ERC with its own governance, so ensuring its permanence as a stand-alone EU body. This is essential to implement is scientific strategy. Increasing its funding is essential to keep Europe’s top scientists and to be a magnet for talent from elsewhere. At this point, 40% of applicants to ERC calls are
rejected not because of a lack of excellence, but simply because there is no budget to fund them. This is a missed chance for Europe. The ERC represents a crucial investment in Europe’s future. An autonomous and well-funded ERC will continue to make an outstanding contribution to European competitiveness and quality of life, by transforming the breakthrough ideas of today into the innovative products, policies and systems of tomorrow.
We strongly urge all European leaders to demonstrate their commitment to fundamental research in Europe when discussing the successor framework programme to Horizon Europe. It is essential to enable scientists to continue delivering their groundbreaking contributions to societal progress. The best way for them to do so is to enhance the autonomy and the funding of the ERC.
NOTE FOR THE EDITORS
The Association of ERC Grantees (AERG) is an international non-profit organization established under Belgian law to represent the community of researchers awarded grants by the European Research Council (ERC). AERG supports and promotes excellence-based, bottom-up scientific research across Europe. Its core missions include fostering a vibrant research community, engaging the public on the value of fundamental research, and advocating for frontier science funding. Through networking, outreach, and policy engagement, the Association highlights the societal impact of high-risk, high-reward research and works to ensure diversity and quality in future ERC applications. AERG has around 250 members as of today. representing 21 countries (UK, FR, DE, NL, SP, IT, BE, CH, SW, AT, PT, GR, IL, IR, FI, DK, ND, PL, TU, SL, CZ).
For more information visit: https://aerg.eu
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