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Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren e.V.

Helmholtz

The Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest scientific research organization, operating 18 research centers focused on energy, environment, health, information technology, aeronautics, space, transport, and materials science.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Kurt Vandenberghe (Director-General Climate Action)

22 Jan 2026 · links to Horizon Europe and overarching EU policy fields

Response to European Innovation Act

25 Sept 2025

Helmholtz Mission contributes to solving the grand challenges and one of its main foundations relies on providing research and innovation communities with access to the infrastructures operated by our Centres. Helmholtz Centres build and operate research infrastructures (RI), as well as technology infrastructures (TI). Our infrastructures cover a broad continuum from fundamental and applied research up to innovation and are open to external users including industry. Depending on the economic area, our infrastructures have a variable uptake by commercial users along the Helmholtz large research fields of Aeronautics, Transport and Space, Energy, Earth and Environment, Health, Information and Matter. In the attached document you can find Helmholtz' suggestions to the future Innovation Act pertaining to the areas of: - opportunities to test innovative solutions - access to research and technology infrastructures - innovation procurement - attracting and retaining talent as well as to further areas. You find the full Helmholtz contribution also under https://go.fzj.de/TTc5R
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Response to European Research Area (ERA) Act

10 Sept 2025

European research and innovation are under pressure from global competition, geopolitical uncertainty, and underinvestment. As Europes largest research organisation and a pivotal actor in shaping the ERA, Helmholtz presents this feedback on the ERA Act consultation. 1 Reaching the 3% R&D Target Europe continues to lag in public investment in frontier research. ERC grants remain underfunded, with budgets unchanged since 2007. A major weakness is the chronic underfunding of the phase that bridges research and market. The EU must establish new mechanisms to support and incentivize both public and private-sector R&D investments. 2 Aligning Investments & Policies Helmholtz emphasises the need for flexible but systematic coordination between EU and national programs. Flexible but systematic alignment, particularly in research infrastructures (RI; e.g. ESFRI), would increase efficiency. Structural and cohesion funds should be more strategically used to improve participation from less research-intensive regions. Balancing excellence with cohesion is key: instruments like ERC Institutes (as suggested by Draghi) and EU Chairs can attract top researchers while widening measures build capacity. 3 Research Careers & Mobility Mobility across academia, industry, and borders remains difficult due to employment rules, complex visa procedures, and lack of recognition of qualifications. A European Researcher Visa and harmonised rules on recognition of experience are needed and would reduce fragmentation. Intersectoral PhD and Postdoc programs should be expanded, alongside more flexible rules for cross-sectoral mobility. 4 Open Science & Strategic Autonomy Helmholtz plays a leading role in European and national data infrastructures (EOSC, NFDI). It stresses the importance of FAIR-compliant data management and interoperable platforms, while safeguarding competitiveness and research security. Europe must reduce dependence on non-EU infrastructures by supporting EHDS, EOSC, and related initiatives. Sustainable funding and coordinated frameworks are essential to ensure access and efficiency. 5 Knowledge Valorisation Helmholtz, with a strong record in spin-offs and innovation ecosystems, stresses the need for joint publicprivate models and instruments for disruptive innovation. Entrepreneurial training for researchers must be expanded. EU-level legal frameworks should be adapted: an Innovative European Company statute (see Draghi) would ease scaling, while the AI Act and CSRD should be recalibrated to avoid stifling innovation. 6 International Cooperation & Research Security Th EU must follow as secure as necessary, as open as possible. Fragmented national policies on security weaken the ERA. EU-level standards for risk assessment, sensitive data definitions, and export controls are needed. Partnerships with third countries should be guided by common principles, while avoiding excessive bureaucracy. 7 Legal & Administrative Barriers RIs are disproportionately affected by rules designed for market actors, such as energy efficiency laws and CSRD reporting. Exemptions or tailored obligations are necessary. Bureaucratic barriers such as A1 certificates for mobility and inconsistent remote working rules must be removed through EU-wide frameworks on flexible cross-border work. 8. Research & Technology Infrastructures (RTIs) As a major operator of world-class RTIs, Helmholtz stresses that these must be accessible to all ERA researchers, regardless of location or funding source. RTIs should be systematically integrated into Horizon Europe and future schemes, recognising their dual role in both fundamental research and tech development. Conclusion Helmholtz underlines that the ERA needs targeted investment, simplified frameworks, and stronger support for researchers and infrastructures. Only through these reforms can Europe remain globally competitive, attractive and resilient.
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Meeting with Tilly Metz (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Jun 2025 · AMR, animal testing

Helmholtz Association urges EU support for early-stage biotech research

11 Jun 2025
Topic — The European Commission is consulting on measures to accelerate biotech innovation and commercialization.
Message — Helmholtz calls for continued support for early-stage research and scientific evidence-based decisions regarding animal research. They recommend streamlining regulatory bottlenecks in clinical trials and creating a matchmaking platform for investors.123
Why — Protecting animal research and securing infrastructure funding would safeguard Helmholtz's operational capacity and research output.456
Impact — Animal welfare groups lose influence as Helmholtz advocates for the continued use of animal models.7
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Meeting with Christian Ehler (Member of the European Parliament) and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and

4 Jun 2025 · European science policy

Response to European strategy on research and technology infrastructures

22 May 2025

Helmholtz centres build and operate research infrastructures, as well as technology infrastructures. These infrastructures are open to external users including industry, as per Helmholtz mission. Several Helmholtz infrastructures see themselves only in the realm of RIs, such as many in the area of Earth and Environment, while others are a hybrid between RIs and TIs e.g. in the areas of Energy, Information and Matter or mainly a TI e.g. in the area of Aeronautics. Regarding the **identified main problems** and needs, at Helmholtz we believe that not only the prioritisation and coordination of investments in strategic areas at EU level and access are at stake. We also need support from the EU to establish and implement coordinated roadmaps for the strategic development of RIs, as well as TIs with concrete budget lines, milestones and deliverables. Another need is a comprehensive support to data management, where RIs need more resources than TIs. EOSC is already providing support in this sense, but FAIR data in RIs must not be forgotten. We need structures that provide data services for data-generating RIs. These services require a functioning FAIR exchange of data between the various data stakeholders in science, administration, as well as industry in certain cases. Making datasets available is only the tip of the iceberg. RIs also provide services and qualified personnel, e.g. for data curation, where applying metadata standards to improve datasets is time-consuming and cost-intensive. Also, relevant metadata need to be quickly found, e.g. regarding authorship, measurement methods or rights of access and use. This needs a tight interplay among the data ecosystem players, such as RIs, repositories and data centres and could be backed in part through machine learning or AI (e.g. through materials acceleration platforms). Regarding **additional challenges to be addressed** by a European strategy, at Helmholtz we miss a proper execution on speed to address competitiveness. Europes main competitors are constantly improving in terms of fast decision making, fast programme implementation and fast exploitation. Therefore, the European initiative for RIs and TIs must take into account this speed challenge and include measures to prepare for maximum speed in its decision making, implementation and exploitation. Critical mass is a decisive catalyst for innovation. Depending on the research field, reasonable quantities of innovations and time to market require a long term commitment of between 50 and 100 researchers and innovators per research area. RI and TI roadmaps should ensure reaching critical mass in the selected strategic areas for Europe as one of their first milestones. Regarding other **actions needed at EU level**, the current ongoing discussion on a framework programme and a competitiveness fund raises questions on the implementation of a coherent support at EU level. For us at Helmholtz it is clear that RIs and TIs complement each other and they should not compete within shared budget lines. Nevertheless, the landscape of innovation must incorporate both RIs and TIs in order to leverage their synergies. Regardless of the context of dedicated subprogramme or subfund for RI (e.g. in the future Framework Programme), as well as for TIs (e.g. under the future competitiveness fund), their indispensable role must be honoured in the structure of their respective specific programmes. In addition, they need proper support through dedicated, specific and adequate financial envelopes that ease access of users, as well as help coordinate their technological evolution. **Further details on Helmholtz vision** for the next funding period 2028-34 for research and technology infrastructures can be found in the position paper published beginning of 2025: https://go.fzj.de/NSsCf
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Meeting with Tiemo Wölken (Member of the European Parliament)

10 Apr 2025 · Veranstaltung des Helmholtz Zentrums zu REACH und New Approach Methodologies (staff level)

Meeting with Christian Ehler (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. and

3 Mar 2025 · FP10

Meeting with Jutta Paulus (Member of the European Parliament)

19 Feb 2025 · Klimapolitik und record-shattering

Meeting with Oliver Schenk (Member of the European Parliament)

30 Jan 2025 · European research cooperation

Meeting with Andrea Wechsler (Member of the European Parliament) and Carbon Gap ASBL and Future Cleantech Architects

18 Dec 2024 · EU Energy and industry policy

Meeting with Roberto Viola (Director-General Communications Networks, Content and Technology)

24 Sept 2024 · Digitalisation, R&I

Meeting with Kurt Vandenberghe (Director-General Climate Action)

23 Sept 2024 · Possible contributions in the working fields of DG CLIMA (climate change/resilience, climate information systems, carbon storage)

Meeting with Iliana Ivanova (Commissioner) and

29 May 2024 · Meeting with the Presidents of the G6 Research Network. G6 president's shared their views for the future of European Research.

Response to Options for support for R&D of dual-use technologies

30 Apr 2024

Helmholtz is Germany's largest research organization with the ambitious mission to develop solutions and technologies for the world of tomorrow. At Helmholtz, more than 46,000 employees work together in 18 centres to generate high impact research results. We combine our strengths in six Research Fields: Energy; Earth and Environment; Health; Information; Aeronautics, Space and Transport; and Matter. Together, we want to develop innovative future technologies and thus preserve the foundations of human life. Finding solutions for grand societal challenges is our task. We realize that these challenges require a new direction of the European security architecture. We are aware of the impact this might have on civil research organisations and universities across Europe and would like to highlight the following: The definition of dual-use research is strongly connected to the application of its results; therefore, fundamental research due to its open nature - not envisaging certain results - is out of scope here. Excellence and international cooperation are key to develop new beyond-state-of-the-art solutions for societal challenges. Our researchers rely on research freedom to drive innovation globally by publishing in an open and FAIR manner. Combining research for military and civil use in one funding programme could have a negative impact on international research cooperations, since military research has different security requirements for access to infrastructures, partners, processes, staff and transparency. Additionally, being subject to EU-classification would come at an extra cost and civil research organisations would have difficulty adapting their procedures without additional funding. Research cooperations within Europe as well could be negatively affected by a combination of research for military and for civil use in one funding programme due to the exclusive civil focus of many research organisations and universities. It also needs to be examined to what extent the basis for EU-research projects relies on prior grants and contracts that prescribe a sole civil use of their results and would exclude a dual-use application. Integrating research with a dual-use potential in the current MFF should be based on a harmonised set of rules at EU and member state level and a clear and an easy to apply definition and grouping of dual-use. We think it would be advantageous for projects with dual-use potential in EU funding programmes to be clearly identified as such. It is important that this does not impede either fundamental research or the ability of civil research organisations and universities to cooperate. Research with a dual-use potential should remain limited in scope and should provide the freedom to operate for civil research stakeholders. Moreover, research organisations would benefit from simplified permit obligations and official support. Any dual-use research in European research and innovation programmes must be transparent and as far as military applications are concerned, it should have a solely defensive focus and should be accompanied by measures that prohibit abuse. A possible role or influence of military stakeholders in the dual-use projects should be fully documented. Research and the development of innovations with civil focus are value creating by themselves and should not be evaluated in light of dual-use application. As part of the next MFF any funding programme with focus on military or dual-use should not be financed at the expense of FP 10. The latter must have its primary focus on civil applications, be accessible in all its parts by European research organisations and universities and should be sustained by a stronger budget that is not subject to cutbacks.
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Response to Enhancing research security in Europe

3 Jan 2024

The Helmholtz Association, Germanys largest non-university research-performing organization, welcomes and supports this initiative. In the past years, we have launched a number of measures ourselves to address the topic of research security in our 18 legally independent Research Centers and raise awareness regarding potential risks of international cooperation amongst our researchers, through, e.g., local projects and workshops. We are currently also working on internal guidelines for research security, to be finalized and published in 2024. We support the notion of as open as possible, as closed as necessary. As there is no one size fits all-approach, every institutional cooperation and every visiting guest scientist is subject to an individual screening process that must be carried out by experts at the responsible institution itself, taking into account national legislation. Research organizations need government support and adequate financial and human resources to carry out their due diligence effectively and thoroughly. We would welcome the development of additional instruments and (software) tools at EU level, such as TIM Dual Use, as well as staff development offers (such as training courses or administrative staff exchange) to support these procedures and increase expertise at all levels. Standardized online training programs for researchers including examination could also be worth exploring. We support the idea of creating a community of practice across European countries to exchange information and share best practices. The EU should also take the plethora of existing documents and best practices from various countries (such as guidelines and handbooks) into account as they can serve as inspiring examples for governments and organizations who have yet to start working on this challenge. Creating, e.g., a password-protected online repository would be helpful for all stakeholders. Collecting anonymized case studies would also be helpful in our view, as they have proven to be an effective means to increase awareness amongst researchers. Although we agree that a country-agnostic approach is generally correct, we believe that vis-à-vis specific countries, a joint European policy, highlighting - amongst others - our shared ethical values and non-negotiable legal requirements, and increased centralized coordination would be beneficial to create a sturdy safety net and ensure that we do not appear divided. About Helmholtz: We are Germany's largest research organization. At Helmholtz, more than 45 000 people work together in 18 centres and develop solutions and technologies for the world of tomorrow. With an annual budget of five billion euros and long-term, interdisciplinary research programs and unique research infrastructures we address global challenges - in our six thematic fields: Energy, Earth & Environment, Health, Information, Matter and Aeronautics, Space & Transport.
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Meeting with Niklas Nienass (Member of the European Parliament)

5 Dec 2023 · Researching climate change through earth observation

Meeting with Marc Lemaitre (Director-General Research and Innovation)

11 Oct 2023 · - Horizon Europe, including the role of research in the Missions - outlook to the future FP10 - Link of Horizon Europe and other programmes

Meeting with Christian Ehler (Member of the European Parliament)

22 Mar 2023 · Allgemeiner Austausch, ITRE

Meeting with Christian Ehler (Member of the European Parliament) and Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften and

29 Nov 2022 · European Research Area

Meeting with Christian Ehler (Member of the European Parliament)

11 Oct 2022 · Horizon Europe, Union Budget, European Research Area

Response to Ex-post evaluation of Horizon 2020

28 Jul 2022

Concept paper by the Brussels Office of the Helmholtz Association regarding the final evaluation of the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme 2014-2020 The Brussels Office of the Helmholtz Association has prepared this concept paper in reaction to the call for evidence to provide ideas on important topics to be covered by the upcoming stakeholder consultation (2022 Q4) to analyze the outputs and impacts of the entire Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme over the years 2014-2020. We would like to present a non-exhaustive list of ideas for thematic areas and questions to be considered for the consultation survey and stakeholder events. Please make sure that future stakeholder events to gather feedback are open to the research community and not limited to umbrella organisations: Policy objectives of EU research funding: - Have societal challenges received more attention in research and innovation compared to FP7? Structure of H2020: - To what extent were basic research and applied science aspects taken into account? Was the distribution in the different pillars of H2020 adequate? - Which instruments did Horizon 2020 offer that you are missing in Horizon Europe - Are there important areas not covered by Horizon Europe? Specific instruments and areas of H2020: - Which parts of the Horizon 2020 programme provided the most possibilities for your research? - Could your organization use/identify potential synergies between the regular framework program and H2020 Partnerships? - Was the programme FET a success for your centre? - Was the programme part for research infrastructures fit for purpose? - How would you assess the participation of your researchers in IA? Were there shortcomings regarding the scope of topics or the cooperation landscape? Proposal phase - Were there unnecessary burdens and complexities for applicants and participants? o Topic structure and topic content of the calls o Size and budget of the projects o Contact with the EC, Policy Officers/executive agencies o Available information channels by the EC (e.g. F&T Portal, guidance documents) o Evaluation process and criteria? - Which were major obstacles that you had to overcome? - Were you satisfied with the success rate? How could application procedures be simplified to lessen the workload for a proposal? Administration and Implementation of projects - In comparison to FP7, which were major improvements of H2020 in terms of administration and simplification? - What should simplification entail? Should simplification measures be primarily beneficial for applicants and beneficiaries? - Were there any changes for the worse in comparison to former EU funding programmes? - Which rules or procedures under H2020 imposed a heavy administrative burden on beneficiaries? - How could remaining burdensome procedures or rules be redesigned or replaced? Which procedures/rules should be simplified and how? Reporting and Audits - Which were major achievements in terms of reporting, checks and audits in comparison to FP7? - Were there any changes for the worse? - Was there enough information on the audit process available? Which information or support did you miss? Were audit roles sufficiently clarified in advance? - Did you use methodology certificates (CoMuC) or other simplification measures of H2020? If no, for which reasons? Guidance and information on H2020 - Which information/guidance of the EC did you use the most and find most helpful? - Was the search function and the respective answers in the Participant Portal FAQ section fit for purpose? Which are current shortcomings of the F&T Portal? - Were you satisfied with answers provided by the Research Enquiry Service? - Which kind of information from the EC was lacking in terms of applying for, implementing and successfully finalising a project? For which areas is extra information needed? - Which parts of the Annotated Grant Agreement should be improved and how?
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Response to Interim evaluation of Horizon Europe

28 Jul 2022

Based on first-hand experience gathered by Helmholtz researchers during the first years of Horizon Europe, Helmholtz Brussels would like to stress these aspects: - Innovation for the EU Partnerships and policy support needs research at all TRLs - The change of paradigm in calls for research infrastructures was an unannounced revolution - Mismatch between EU Missions promises and actual opportunities for researchers - Breadth of topics displaces RTOs from coordination - Proposal preparation had its hiccups at the beginning - The grant preparation phase was too hectic - New implementation modes of projects represent a challenge You will find further details about these aspects in the attached 2-page document, together with our recommendations to improve the implementation of Horizon Europe for 2025-2027, as well as the next framework programme. About Helmholtz: We are Germany's largest research organization and develop solutions and technologies for the world of tomorrow. In doing so, we ask ourselves key questions: What helps in the fight against life-threatening diseases? How can climate change be slowed down? How will the next quantum revolution change our lives? Meeting challenges like these requires cutting-edge research. At Helmholtz, more than 43 000 people work together in 18 centers to create extraordinary things. Together, we want to develop innovative technologies and thus preserve the foundations of human life. With an annual budget of five billion euros and long-term, interdisciplinary research programs and unique research infrastructures open to every researcher, Helmholtz has positioned itself as one of the leading research organizations by cooperating with the best institutions worldwide.
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Meeting with Pierre Delsaux (Director-General Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority)

22 Jun 2022 · HERA

Meeting with Janusz Wojciechowski (Commissioner) and

23 May 2022 · Ukraine-Crisis impacts on food security: tackling the short-term shock in view of the larger threats of the Climate- and Biodiversity-Crises

Response to A New European Innovation Agenda

10 May 2022

Helmholtz welcomes the European Commission‘s approach to strengthening its overarching innovation agenda. The exchange of information between research and other parts of society is crucial for the success of the twin green and digital transitions, human health, and many other challenges we are facing. It is Helmholtz’ mission to overcome these grand societal challenges. For a sustainable innovation ecosystem, the EU should promote and support innovation on all levels. This includes research at low Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), where fundamental findings can shift paradigms, as well as activities at higher TRLs, where technologies are closer to the market. What used to be considered “fundamental science” has often led to breakthroughs with immediate consequences for our lives, such as mRNA vaccine development, quantum computing, or computational materials science. To keep the innovation pipeline filled and ready to deliver the breakthroughs we need, the EU must fund collaborative research from first ideas all the way to market entry. To bridge innovation performance gaps between regions, cooperation across borders is key: EU support for international groups of innovators, such as Horizon Europe’s pillar “Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness” and the multi-beneficiary instruments of the EIC, are beneficial to all involved parties. Learning from the most successful innovation ecosystems from different regions is crucial: Complementary competencies come together and emerging innovators learn from those with more experience. Best practice adoption should become an integral part of innovation programs on a systemic level. Comprehensive complementarity between EU-funded programs, including but not limited to Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, EU4Health, EURATOM, and Structural Funds, is key to enable and accelerate innovation as well as to ensure implementation and deployment. It ensures that there is a suitable support mechanism for every valid innovative idea – regardless of the field in which it originated. To develop and retain talent in Europe, Europe needs world-class research and innovation environments. This includes research and technology infrastructures as “talent magnets” as well as innovation ecosystems where innovators can easily switch between career paths, including the translation of ideas from research into commercial settings supported by suitable legal, financial and regulatory frameworks. Essential for this is an established start-up culture that encourages researchers to pursue innovative ideas and considers setbacks not as personal failure, but as opportunities for growth. Additional programs to promote a start-up culture and to provide scientists and science managers with the required knowledge to make the most of their ideas constitute valuable investments into Europe’s innovative future. Flourishing start-ups greatly benefit from a maturing and expanding European venture capital and private equity industries. These industries contribute to start-up success by sharing management and financing skills, and by reminding founders to implement best practices. Additional measures to promote European venture capital and private equity can strengthen innovation ecosystems by providing resources and skills instrumental for start-ups to continuously improve their business models, their operations and their commercial successes. Helmholtz, with 43,000 employees and an annual budget of 5 bn EUR, offers talents excellent conditions for cutting-edge research. 18 Helmholtz centers dedicate themselves every day to the great questions of our time in six thematic fields: Energy, Earth & Environment, Health, Information, Matter and Aeronautics, Space & Transport. Helmholtz has taken a comprehensive approach to innovation, laid out in our transfer mission with tailored instruments at the level of the association as well as at the individual Helmholtz centers: https://tinyurl.com/44eurfep
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Meeting with Jean-Eric Paquet (Director-General Research and Innovation)

22 Sept 2021 · ERA

Meeting with Jean-Eric Paquet (Director-General Research and Innovation)

15 Jun 2021 · Meeting with the G6 network (CNR, Helmholtz, Max-Planck, CSIC, Leibniz, CNRS) about the ERA Pact

Meeting with Camilla Bursi (Cabinet of Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius)

18 May 2021 · Synergies between GHG-emission reduction and biodiversity protection

Meeting with Virginijus Sinkevičius (Commissioner) and

29 Mar 2021 · To discuss Common Agriculture Policy, together with Forests Strategy, and how science can assist

Response to European Health Emergency Response Authority

24 Feb 2021

The attached statement addresses the research and innovation aspects of the proposed legislation, which are evidently a prerequisite to overcoming any health challenge. Helmholtz welcomes the focus on long-term solutions for these complex threats to the health of European citizens. Science-based intelligence can enable us to overcome cross-border health threats, if it is utilized appropriately, as shown in the current pandemic. This will also be true in subsequent crises of a similar nature.
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Response to Pharmaceutical Strategy - Timely patient access to affordable medicines

7 Jul 2020

Please find the statement of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres in the attached document. In summary, Helmholtz welcomes and confirms the European Commission’s Roadmap towards a Pharmaceutical Strategy. While such a strategy must clearly be guided by public health needs, it is vital to note that these needs often arise unexpectedly, underlining the essential need for long-term fundamental and translational research on human health and disease mechanisms. Challenges and bottlenecks in the European pharmaceuticals innovation ecosystem and regulatory framework must be addressed appropriately, while maintaining the safety and privacy of citizens, research organizations, and enterprises alike.
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Response to EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change

30 Jun 2020

Research is key to reach the objectives of the EU Adaptation Strategy The European Commission’s Green Deal sets out ambitious objectives in order to tackle grand challenges related to energy as well as climate and environmental changes. Choosing the right path towards these solutions is a challenge in itself - and requires integration of the latest research results. In many cases, EU is still lacking the required thorough understanding of e.g. global climate processes, the interactions of chemicals and various other substances in the atmosphere or regional climate change impacts. Thus, much research and development remains necessary until we can achieve the innovation required for a climate-resilient daily life. In order to improve the societal acceptance and the performance of innovations, social science approaches should be used jointly with environmental and health assessments. Excellent research can not only support the Green Deal transformation with the knowledge of today, but should also play a crucial role by continuously generating the knowledge of tomorrow and beyond – best to be achieved in European collaborative projects. Long-term R&I agendas including basic research set the ground for new breakthrough developments. Fundamental collaborative research contributes strongly, e.g. by a thorough understanding of climate processes as well as upcoming impacts of climate change, which is a prerequisite to the development of sound solutions and securing successful climate protection and energy system transformation. Research infrastructures, including distributed ones, are key, e.g. to monitor environmental processes and to make scientific and technological findings and solutions possible. Research is the prerequisite for implementing the New EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, in particular the research on adaptation as well as mitigation of climate change. Mitigation should have more visibility in the New EU Strategy on Adaptation to and Mitigation of Climate Change. Priority should be: Accelerate both climate change mitigation and adaptation to climate change by improving actionable knowledge on the climate-earth system, by improving regional to global predictions and projections, by comparing, analysing and evaluating the impact of mitigation and adaptation measures and by proposing and evaluating solutions for short-to-medium and long-term systemic impact in close interaction with stakeholders. Research can also contribute with improved quantitative forecasts of weather, air pollution and seasonal extremes in urban and rural setting by expanding the practical limits of predictability based on advanced modelling, data assimilation, and observational capabilities. Systemic solutions should be envisaged to maximise the potential of win-win situations, including a reflective master plan with intermediate goals, monitoring and strict responses if goals are missed. Complex simulations including economical and societal responses as well as health impacts are needed to improve relevance for political action. Brief portrait of the Helmholtz Association Helmholtz contributes to solving major challenges facing society, science, and the economy through top-level scientific achievements in six Research Fields: Energy, Earth and Environment, Health, Key Technologies, Matter, and Aeronautics, Space, and Transport. With more than 40,000 employees at 19 Research Centers and an annual budget of around 4.8 billion euros, Helmholtz is the largest scientific organization in Germany. Its work is rooted in the tradition of the great natural scientist Hermann von Helmholtz (1821–1894)
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Meeting with Janusz Wojciechowski (Commissioner) and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Umweltbundesamt GmbH - Environment Agency Austria

17 Jun 2020 · How science can help the next CAP be greener and more sustainable.

Meeting with Virginijus Sinkevičius (Commissioner) and

15 Jun 2020 · To discuss how the scientific support can be used in streamlining the Common Agriculture Policy with the European Green Deal, as well as with the targets of Biodiversity Strategy.

Meeting with Jorge Pinto Antunes (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski) and Scientists for Future and

15 May 2020 · To discuss how science and scientists can help improve the CAP, restore public trust, the EU’s Green Deal, Farm to Fork Strategy and their implications for the CAP reform, how to best restore markets and economy after COVID-19 crisis.

Meeting with Frans Timmermans (Executive Vice-President) and Scientists for Future

5 May 2020 · Green Deal and Common Agricultural Policy

Meeting with Jean-Eric Paquet (Director-General Research and Innovation)

20 Mar 2019 · Research Infrustructures, Missions

Meeting with Carlos Moedas (Commissioner) and

16 Oct 2018 · Horizon Europe

Response to MFF: 9th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation and Rules for Participation and Dissemination

22 Aug 2018

Comments by the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres - Preamble 8: The added value of European collaboration is especially high in low TRL activities, where both Industry and Academia can share and exchange knowledge with less IPR concerns blocking them. Low TRL activities should thus be strengthened. - Preamble 11: In order to successfully address global challenges, the expertise of Research Organisations also needs to be part of the strategic planning process. - Preamble 45: Lump sums should only be applied where pilot schemes have proven their feasibility. Especially large collaborative projects should not be part of lump sum funding. - Art. 7: Missions are appreciated and shall be open to multiple, bottom-up solutions and cover the whole innovation chain. Missions should not focus unilaterally on short time solutions but also address mid-term goals and thus involve both low TRL and higher TRL research. - Art. 7: FET Flagship projects need to be part of Horizon Europe and should follow the visionary long-term, technology-driven approach of FET Flagships under Horizon 2020. This is a valuable instrument and its main strength – the long-term visionary focus on technologies needed for Europe’s competitiveness – must not be changed to a more short-term view on direct implementation. - Art. 9: The financial envelope for the implementation of the Framework Programme for the period 2021 – 2027 shall be EUR 120 Bn. in current prices for the specific programme. In view of the high European added value of the research infrastructures (RI) programme, which allows to cooperate in the planning and design of new world-class RI in Europe, to ensure that national facilities join forces for technology development, and for granting access to the best facilities across borders, the budget share for RI should be increased, instead of being reduced. Also, the MSCA have high impact, but suffer from low success rates and their budget share should certainly not be cut. By the same criterion of European added value the collaborative research on global challenges should be increased as a major asset of the framework programmes. Every intervention area within the clusters should have a dedicated budget. In order to implement strategic agendas an order of magnitude of the budget is necessary. - Art. 10: The established opt-out possibilities of the Research Data Pilot scheme in H2020 should be maintained under Horizon Europe, as well as the provision focusing the OA obligation primarily on the data needed to validate the results presented in scientific publications. There should be no further extension of OA to other research outputs and there should be no automatic obligations for beneficiaries to grant open access to results. - Art. 24: The financial capacity shall not be verified either in respect of legal entities whose viability is guaranteed by a Member State or an associated country or in respect of public higher and secondary education establishments. - Art. 26: Proposals should be evaluated by external independent experts only. Exceptions should only apply for EIC proposals. Evaluations must be transparent. - Art. 31: A new article on direct costs is needed, allowing internally invoiced costs to be eligible under conditions respecting the usual cost accounting practices of beneficiaries. Costs which have a link to the action should not be banned just because they were not measured directly. Fair apportionment of average costs calculated based on actual historical data need to be eligible, even if they were attributed to the project via allocation keys. - Art. 48: There should be clear and transparent provisions that all non-profit legal entities and start-ups have the option to benefit from a combined systems review. - New article: A reference to the mandatory conclusion of a consortium agreement should be added. Please have a look at the attached document for further details underpinning these recommendations.
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Response to Multiannual Financial Framework: Specific Programme implementing the 9th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation

6 Aug 2018

Key Messages for the Research Infrastructures Programme in the Proposal of “Horizon Europe” Recommendations from Centres of the Helmholtz Association Operating Research Infrastructures An adequate level of funding and a more efficient coordination is needed for Europe to continue developing its world leadership in the area of Research Infrastructures (RI) and fully exploit the innovation potential of many research areas. Therefore we ask for the RI programme in Horizon Europe: • Increase the budget for RI to at least €5 bn. The growing number of European RI, the evolution of their services, including compliance with FAIR principles in data management need substantial EU funding. Only this way true European added value that goes beyond national interests is generated making RI accessible to all researchers in Europe and beyond. • Reduce the fragmentation of RI in Europe and ensure their world-leadership through i) better coordination and continuous adaptation of services to user demands in European and national RI, ii) fostering the innovation potential of RI and iii) stronger focus on the collaboration of national RI in the EU landscape with a better connection to ESFRI using RI programmes and clusters. • Implement a common funding approach of standardised trans-national access (TNA) primarily through EC-funded TNA projects that directly support access and service to researchers of MS which do not have access to RI or fewer resources. Co-funding should only be introduced in exceptional cases where MS are explicitly committed to provide funding for TNA. The total capital of EU RI is estimated at €100 bn. (EC census of 2008), where €9 bn. are needed for running costs and €1 bn. for major up-grades every year. These costs are mainly covered by MS and do not include the investment needed to implement FAIR-compliant data management. The current proposal for Horizon Europe only covers 3,8 % of the yearly running costs, provided that these costs were eligible. Horizon 2020 has shown that a significant budget increase is needed: Only 52 of the 120 eligible proposals above threshold submitted to support trans-national access (topics INFRAIA from 2014 to 2017) have received funding. Moreover, in the whole RI programme (2014-2017), only 199 proposals of 433 above threshold were funded, resulting in a funding gap of €1,15 bn. Increasing the budget to at least €5 bn. is needed to fully exploit the contribution of RI to excellence science, the support of the global challenges and industrial competitiveness pillar and their role as a pre-requisite to reach competitive industrial applications. Please have a look at the attached document for further facts underpinning these recommendations.
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