The European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) held a structured dialogue with the Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel at its 13 June meeting. The meeting covered Horizon Europe’s history and achievements since its launch in 2021, with emphasis on the role of the Horizon programme as a tool to support Ukrainian scientists.

Commissioner Gabriel began her presentation by announcing Ukraine’s ratification as a member of the Horizon Europe programme, as well as Euratom, and explained other research-related support opportunities granted by the EU, such as ERA4Ukraine.

She continued by talking about the future of Horizon Europe. She confirmed an increased budget for the programme this year, mentioning that the additional funding will also support the efforts towards helping researchers in Ukraine. New programmes, such as one supporting women in technology start-ups, were also announced. She reported that expanding international partnerships beyond the borders of the EU is also amongst the future plans of the Horizon programme.

Lastly, she acknowledged the importance of academic freedom in the European Union and outlined setting up a European programme to evaluate academic freedom in the European Research Area. Following this presentation, she listened to the comments, and responded to the questions of the ITRE committee members.

The recording of the meeting can be viewed here.