Letter of the academies' on Horizon 2020

To the Heads of State or Government of EU Countries and the Presidents of EU institutions

Letter

The Acadamies of Europe

1. As representatives of the European academies of science and humanities we support the Open Letter of 42 Nobel Laureates and 5 Field Medallists which asks "that we support, and even more importantly, inspire in a pan-European way the extraordinary wealth of research and innovation potential that exists all over Europe".

2. Horizon 2020 and activities related to the European Research Area (ERA) lie at the heart of Europe's future, both in the short and long term. The November Summit on the EU budget for 2014-2020 promises to be an historic opportunity to signal unequivocal support for investment in Europe's inherent skills of creativity and ingenuity which are needed today more than ever.

3. Science and Technology have a distinguished track record of underpinning economic success and job creation through innovation, and widespread support for the Horizon 2020 initiative has been reported from the scientific community.

4. Horizon 2020 is visionary as it seeks to ensure that the ERA will be the preferred place to do great research and development. The sums requested are large but the rewards immense. When combined with new efficiencies in the funding programmes, this will keep Europe at the heart of the knowledge revolution, competing and cooperating with the best in the world.  It is not only the creation of new knowledge that is at stake but benefits for citizens and their environment in this and future generations.

5. The academies of Europe stand ready to help and recognise that investment which strengthens Europe's status internationally will also require closer integration between the sciences and humanities.  Without a deeper understanding of values, human behaviour and economic processes in relation to the discoveries and inventions of the day, policy-makers will be deprived of robust insights into how to tackle the challenges of climate change, food security, cybersecurity, demographic change and sustainable growth, to name but a few.

6. We urge you to take a bold step in support of Horizon 2020 at the Summit meeting and await your response with eager anticipation.