Institutul National de Cercetare-Dezvoltare Aerospatiala "Elie Carafoli"
INCAS
INCAS is a comprehensive research establishment, fulfilling a national and international role in providing world class capabilities across the whole spectrum of basic and applied research in aerospace sciences, industrial support and specialized expertise.
ID: 632214236334-38
Lobbying Activity
Response to EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – EU funding for competitiveness
12 Nov 2025
INCAS National Institute for Aerospace Research Elie Carafoli is Romanias leading establishment in aerospace research and development. Established in 1950, INCAS has been the backbone of Romanian aerospace science and technology, conducting advanced research in aerodynamics, flight testing, computational fluid dynamics, structural mechanics, space systems, and advanced materials. It operates world-class research infrastructure, including subsonic and trisonic wind tunnels, and serves as Romanias representative organization in numerous European research and innovation programs. INCAS is a full member of EREA (the Association of European Research Establishments in Aeronautics) and also an active participant in ACARE (the Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe), contributing to strategy and vision for European aeronautics sector. Being a trusted member of EREA, detailed considerations that are attached are representing the position of all EREA members, including INCAS towards MFF, FP10 and ECF. Together, EREA members have engaged for 30 years in collaborative research projects and partnerships (HE pillar 2), addressing challenges that cannot be tackled and implemented adequately at the national level, and not by industry or universities alone. Applied research, including its infrastructures, is crucial in bridging the valley of death. Technologies developed in aviation are used and thus necessary in other sectors. Aviation is an indispensable part of the global transport system and has strong links to the overall energy system. Other sectors will suffer without new technologies coming from aviation. INCAS welcomes several elements of the European Commissions Horizon Europe (HE) proposal. These include establishing HE as a standalone programme with its own regulation, increasing its budget to about 175 billion, and ensuring support for the full research and innovation chainfrom basic science to market-ready technologies. INCAS values the continued emphasis on collaborative research, cross-border and cross-disciplinary cooperation, and the inclusion of Technology Infrastructures under Pillar 4 as a recognition of their role in Europes technological sovereignty and competitiveness. It also supports preserving familiar HE instruments such as excellence-based evaluation, ensuring smooth transitions between framework programmes, integrating HE with the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), and adopting moonshot projects (e.g. Smart and Clean Aviation) to boost long-term competitiveness. However, INCAS raises several concerns. It urges that aviation be explicitly recognised as a strategic sector with its own dedicated funding stream in FP10. It calls for clearer alignment between HE and the ECFespecially for key technologies such as sustainable aviation fuels, hybrid-electric propulsion, and AI-enabled operationswithout adding complexity for RTOs or newcomers. INCAS warns against diverting HE funds, reducing collaborative research budgets, or creating imbalances within Pillar II. It also seeks a stronger role for RTOs within the EIC, fewer administrative burdens, clearer approaches to less prescriptive calls, and safeguards to ensure that dual-use R&I funding does not undermine civil aviation priorities. INCAS also identifies several areas needing clarification: how HE will support the full TRL spectrum; how access will be simplified for RTOs, universities, SMEs and deep-tech start-ups; how moonshotsparticularly an aviation moonshotwill be designed, governed, and funded; and how stakeholders will be involved in governance. Finally, it stresses the need to build on lessons learned from European Technology Platforms.
Read full responseMeeting with Stéphane Séjourné (Executive Vice-President) and
9 Jan 2025 · Europe de la défense Simplification