Six organisations representing Portugal’s national research and innovation system – Conselho Coordenador dos Institutos Superiores Politécnicos (Portuguese Polytechnics Coordinating Council – CCISP), Conselho Coordenador do Roteiro Nacional das Infraestruturas Científicas de Interesse Estratégico (Coordinating Council of the National Roadmap for Research Infrastructures of Strategic Interest – CC-RNIE), Conselho dos Laboratórios Associados (Council of Associated Laboratories – CLA), Conselho de Reitores das Universidades Portuguesas (Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities – CRUP), CTI Alliance – Rede Portuguesa de Centros de Tecnologia e Inovação (Network of Technology and Innovation Centres) and Fórum dos Laboratórios Colaborativos (Forum of Collaborative Laboratories – FCoLAB) – are calling on the Portuguese Government to oppose the proposed budget cuts to the European Union’s next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation and to advocate for funding of at least €220 billion for the 2028-2034 period.
The six organisations signed a joint declaration expressing their consensus on the need to increase the budget of the 10th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10) across all pillars, and to ensure coordination with the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF).
“INESC TEC is an Associated Laboratory and a Technology and Innovation Centre, has infrastructures included in the National Roadmap, and gathers higher education institutions among its members. INESC TEC is also a founding member and associate of several Collaborative Laboratories. We fully endorse this joint position, which brings together the different elements of Portugal’s national research and innovation system around a common priority: ensuring that European investment in science, technology and innovation matches Portugal’s and Europe’s ambitions for competitiveness and sustainable development,” explained João Claro, Chairman and CEO of INESC TEC.
The declaration echoes across the rest of Europe, where other organisations representing their counterparts in EU Member States have expressed concern about the proposal on the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework put forward by the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and published on 10 October. The proposal entails a further reduction in FP10 funding compared with previous proposals.
The six organisations urge the Portuguese Government to advocate, at European level (particularly within the European Council), for an FP10 budget of at least €220 billion for this new seven-year cycle.
The organisations consider this path to be at odds with the priority assigned in the Draghi report to science, technology and innovation as drivers of competitiveness, productivity and strategic autonomy. They call for an ambitious, dedicated and ring-fenced budget covering all the Framework Programme’s pillars, in line with the recommendations of the independent high-level expert group chaired by Manuel Heitor, former Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education.
The declaration emphasises that closing Europe’s technology and competitiveness gap with the United States and China requires sustained investment in frontier research, talent, research and technology infrastructures, collaborative research and disruptive innovation. It also highlights the decisive role of science and innovation in turning decarbonisation and the digital transition into opportunities for economic development and technological leadership.
The organisations also call for effective coordination between the Framework Programme and the future European Competitiveness Fund, ensuring continuity of support from knowledge creation through technology development and application to business expansion – while preserving the specific mission of each instrument.
The joint position identifies five priorities: financial resources proportionate to European ambitions; stable and predictable funding; the mobilisation of additional investment; complementarity between public and private funding; and stronger coordination between European and national investment.
Concerning the last point, the signatories emphasise that Portugal’s participation and leadership in European programmes depend on a robust national science and technology system. They highlighted that the establishment of the Agency for Research and Innovation (AI²) and the revision of the Science and Innovation Law must rely on effective and sustained investment in national capabilities.
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Joint Declaration – Strengthening the 10th Framework Programme: Research and Innovation for European Competitiveness
13 October 2026
Research and innovation (R&I) are essential to Europe’s competitiveness, strategic autonomy and prosperity. The Letta, Draghi and Heitor reports converge on the need to strengthen investment in knowledge and innovation to sustain productivity growth and address Europe’s challenges.
The signatory organisations call on the Portuguese Government to advocate, for an ambitious increase in the budget of the 10th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation across all pillars in European negotiations, with a dedicated, ring-fenced budget and effective coordination with the European Competitiveness Fund.
The proposal put forward by the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), published on 10 October 2026, provides for a budget of €158.1 billion for the 10th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. This represents a reduction of €16.9 billion, or almost 10%, compared with the €175 billion initially proposed by the European Commission. This proposal deepens previous cuts, running counter to the priority assigned to science, technology and innovation in the Draghi report as a means of strengthening European competitiveness and strategic autonomy. We call on the Portuguese Government to oppose said reductions and advocate for a budget of €220 billion for the 2028-2034 period, as recommended by the independent high-level expert group chaired by Manuel Heitor, former Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education.
Closing Europe’s technology and competitiveness gap with the United States of America and China requires a joint European effort on a sufficient scale and sustained over time. The Framework Programme makes it possible to bring together knowledge, talent, infrastructures and capabilities from different countries, enabling collaborations that would not be possible at national level alone. Research and innovation are crucial to ensuring that decarbonisation and the digital transition become drivers of sustainable competitiveness, generating productivity gains and new opportunities for technological and industrial leadership. Developing these capabilities should also help reduce Europe’s technological dependencies in strategic areas.
Improving the 10th Framework Programme should make it possible to fund more frontier research, train, attract and develop talent, and scale up collaborative research to boost competitiveness and address societal challenges. It should also expand support for disruptive and high-risk innovation, the validation of new technologies, and the creation and growth of science- and tech-based companies. This ambition requires more robust and accessible research and technology infrastructures, as well as a more integrated European Research Area that strengthens the capacity to generate, absorb and valorise knowledge, broadens participation and mobilises excellence across the Union.
Coordination with the European Competitiveness Fund should ensure continuity of funding from research and technological development through to demonstration, the adoption of new solutions and business development, while respecting the specific mission of each instrument and strengthening the economic and social valorisation of knowledge. This coordination should rely on funding mechanisms and procedures that facilitate progression between stages, considering different levels of maturity, risk and development time.
This position focuses on five dimensions:
- Resources that match ambition: Underinvestment in R&I and the fragmentation of capabilities and markets constrain European competitiveness. Strengthening the Framework Programme should enable large-scale projects and partnerships capable of consolidating scientific and technological advantages and introducing new opportunities for leadership.
- Stability and predictability: A budget protected from reallocation to other priorities is essential for planning investments, developing careers, and sustaining long-term infrastructures and collaborations. This predictability should cover the entire programming period and all R&I activities supported by the Framework Programme.
- Mobilising additional investment: European R&I funding can attract national public resources and private investment, increasing the reach of projects. Collaborative projects and long-term partnerships – including European Partnerships under the Framework Programme – make it possible to bring together the expertise and resources of scientific and technological institutions, companies and public bodies around common objectives.
- Complementarity between public and private funding: Public funding underpins knowledge creation and activities characterised by high levels of risk and uncertainty, whose economic and social returns may take a long time to materialise. Coordination with private investment, particularly through public-private partnerships, enables technologies to be developed and demonstrated, supports their adoption and creates the conditions for investment on a larger scale.
- Coordination between European and national investment: An ambitious Framework Programme requires robust national R&I systems and sustained funding. In Portugal, the establishment of the Agency for Research and Innovation (AI2) and the revision of the Science and Innovation Law must be accompanied by effective investment in national capabilities, since national investment is essential to Portugal’s ability to participate in and lead European initiatives, which in turn amplify the scale and impact of national capabilities.
Strengthening the 10th Framework Programme across all pillars, together with the European Competitiveness Fund, means investing in Europe’s capacity to create knowledge, develop technologies and generate innovation. Portugal should advocate for increased investment in research and innovation as a priority for promoting sustainable development, both nationally and across the European Union as a whole.
CCISP – Conselho Coordenador dos Institutos Superiores Politécnicos
CC-RNIE – Conselho Coordenador do Roteiro Nacional das Infraestruturas Científicas de Interesse Estratégico
CLA – Conselho dos Laboratórios Associados
CRUP – Conselho dos Reitores da Universidades Portugueses
CTI Alliance – Rede Portuguesa de Centros de Tecnologia e Inovação
FCoLAB – Forum dos Laboratórios Colaborativos
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