Horizon Europe: suspended funds for Russian researchers!
Horizon Europe 2020 is the EU funding programme for research and innovation with a budget of € 95.5 billion. Currently, there are 86 active projects under Horizon 2020, involving 78 different Russian organizations. Of these, 29 Russian organizations involved in 19 projects received € 12.6 million in EU contributions.
In light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which took place on February 24, 2022, the European Commission has decided to suspend cooperation with Russian entities operating in the fields of science, research and innovation. The European Commission has provided to:
- Not conclude any future contracts and agreements with Russian organisations under Horizon Europe Programme
- Suspend all payments to Russian entities under existing contracts
- All ongoing projects, under Horizon Europe and Horizon Europe 2020 are being reviewed.
As stated by Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth: “Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine is an attack on freedom, democracy and self-determination, on which cultural expression, academic and scientific freedom and scientific cooperation are based. As a result, we have decided not to engage into further cooperation projects in research and innovation with Russian entities. At the same time, we are strongly committed to ensuring a continued successful participation of Ukraine in Horizon Europe and Euratom Research and Training programmes. Ukrainian scientists and researchers have been key participants in our EU Framework programmes for research and innovation for 20 years and have demonstrated excellence and innovation leadership. We have taken administrative steps to ensure that successful Ukrainian beneficiaries can receive funding from the EU research and innovation programmes.”
The full statement of Commissioner Gabriel is available here.
Horizon Europe programme is a great opportunity for all researchers to success and to improve in their own field thanks to the huge budget made available.
Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for a Europe fit for the Digital Age, said: “EU research cooperation is based on the respect for the freedoms and rights that underpin excellence and innovation. Russia’s heinous military aggression against Ukraine is an attack against those same values. It is therefore time to put an end to our research cooperation with Russia. “
These words perfectly describe the cornerstones of nursing research and research which, in this historical period, more than ever, plays a key role. Freedom and respect for human rights are the basis of free and innovative research that can benefit the entire population. Russia is trampling all rights of Ukrainian citizens and nurses. Stop the violence!!!
