welcomed the proposal’s explicit commitment to the values of the European Research Area (ERA), to improving research careers, to simplification of project application and reporting, and to widening participation in the Horizon Europe Programme. We also note the strong emphasis on international cooperation and the declared aim to help Member States reach the target of investing 3% of GDP in research and innovation while developing, attracting and retaining a highly skilled and internationally connected research workforce.
The proposal’s reaffirmation of ERA values, ethics and integrity, freedom of scientific research, open science, gender equality and equal opportunities, non-discrimination, and the promotion of attractive careers and mobility, is a strong foundation. These values need to be operationalised in project calls, evaluations, grant agreements and monitoring. Safeguards for academic freedom, freedom to publish and institutional autonomy should be explicit, with proportionate measures on research security that do not undermine openness, collaboration and trust.
Researchers’ trade unions believe that the Programme should support the reduction of precarity in the sector, which is caused mostly by project-based contracts and short-term mobility. ETUCE proposes proportionate social conditionalities in grant agreements: compliance with labour law and collective agreements; respect for trade union rights and social dialogue; limits on abusive chains of fixed-term contracts; fair remuneration relative to national benchmarks and cost of living; safe and healthy workplaces; and credible development plans that include supervision quality, mentoring and leadership opportunities.
Trade unions of the sector also request that Horizon Europe should:
Be a distinct, research-first programme that safeguards academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and the integrity of fundamental research, resisting any dilution by competitiveness agendas.
Be an EU funding which complements, rather than replaces, national investment, with significant resources allocated to curiosity-driven research and measures to reduce regional disparities.
Strengthen its social mission by supporting non-market, public-interest research in social sciences, humanities, and education.
Make research careers attractive and sustainable by tackling precarity, introducing social conditionalities and inclusion & gender equality plans in grant agreements, ensuring fair pay, safe working conditions, and predictable mobility with full portability of grants and recognition of prior experience.
Guarantee social protection for mobile researchers, harmonize recognition of qualifications and career progression across borders, and provide clear job-quality standards linked to collective agreements, ensuring that research careers are secure, equitable, and aligned with the values of the European Research Area.
HorizonEurope plays a key role in reducing precarity in research sector
