Wellcome position paper on Horizon Europe 2028–2034

We are pleased to present our response to the European Commission’s proposal for Framework Programme 10 (FP10) for the period 2028-2034. 

As a global charitable foundation, based in the UK and Germany, Wellcome is committed to support science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone and plays a significant role in contributing to European research & innovation (R&I). With approximately €5bn in active awards for discovery and mission-driven research across the European Union (EU) 27 and associated countries, we have been – and remain – a steadfast supporter of strong, ambitious and global R&I European Framework Programmes.

We welcome the intention for Horizon Europe to remain a discrete programme retaining most of its current structure, with a significantly higher budget allocation of €175bn. Analysis estimates that every euro invested under Horizon Europe will generate up to €11 in GDP gains by 2045. This represents a substantial return on EU ambition. At a time when science is under threat globally, this proposal sends a signal of stability and continuity to Europe’s R&I ecosystem. It also emphasises the European Commission’s commitment to a competitiveness agenda while enabling innovative solutions to health challenges.

However, we believe that certain aspects of the proposal must be improved. Our paper outlines how the EU can use FP10 to pursue its role in the world, safeguard the Programme as the leading multilateral research platform, and create a clear pathway for philanthropies to co-design and co-invest in shared priorities.

Through its Framework Programmes, the EU has historically provided a very successful platform for collaboration on shared global challenges that individual countries cannot tackle alone. The Regulation for the current Framework Programme 9 (FP9) explicitly refers to “addressing global challenges, including climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)” as a specific objective.

While FP10’s emphasis on strengthening EU innovation capacity and competitiveness is fully justified, this should not be pursued to the detriment of a robust commitment to addressing global challenges. The future programme should reflect a comparable level of ambition in responding to issues such as climate change, mental health, and the spread of infectious diseases. These are challenges that Member States will continue to face throughout the duration of the new programme and beyond, with direct and indirect implications for the EU’s competitiveness in its broadest sense.

The FP10 proposal prioritises EU societal challenges, including democratic values, the rule of law and socio‑economic transformation. However, it is equally essential to recognise that the global challenges outlined above also play a pivotal role in shaping the EU’s internal resilience, security and long‑term prosperity. Tackling these challenges is not at odds with the competitiveness‑driven focus of the proposal. Ensuring there is sufficient scope and resource for discovery science, disease preparedness & prevention, and health‑system research – that cannot be justified on commercial grounds alone – will be essential for the EU’s resilience.

Global geopolitics are becoming increasingly volatile. There is an opportunity for the EU to position itself as a reliable and long-term partner of choice to the world. In failing to do so, other actors may increasingly shape the international environment, potentially in ways that do not fully align with the EU’s interests. Strengthening the Programme’s links with the EU framework for science diplomacy, better connecting it to the proposed Global Europe Programme, and placing science at the heart of the Union’s external action would ensure that principles of shared endeavour and mutual benefit underpin all international collaboration on R&I. FP10 offers an opportunity for the EU to develop new and modernised partnerships, supporting sustainable growth and prosperity while contributing to the collective response to some of the world’s most pressing global challenges.

In this context, there are some considerations specific to the European Commission’s proposal:

• The proposal should better define shared global challenges and make explicit reference to them. This will require amending the proposal’s narrow focus on “societal challenges” to explicitly include global health challenges such as climate change, infectious disease, and mental health.
• The proposal should project the EU’s global role as a trusted and stable partner for research and innovation. FP10 provides a strategic opportunity to promote peace, multilateralism and the EU’s soft power. By delivering mutual benefits with partner countries, particularly LMICs, FP10 can strengthen the EU’s reputation as a reliable long‑term collaborator. This role should be clearly reflected in the approach to research security and “dual‑use” technologies, ensuring that safeguards remain compatible with openness, partnership and responsible scientific cooperation.

The EU has long been a champion of rules-based, multilateral collaboration in science. Through its Framework Programmes and active engagement, the EU has significantly broadened access for under-served Member States while also cultivating substantive R&I partnerships across the rest of the world. This success has made Horizon Europe the leading global platform for international research and innovation cooperation, and it is a great example of European leadership internationally – its scope must be protected and built on in FP10, particularly in the face of growing scepticism toward multilateralism.

The EU has successfully grown the number of countries associated to the current programme – including Japan, Canada, Korea and New Zealand. This is a significant achievement and has placed the EU at the heart of international research collaboration. Projecting that the EU values the association of these countries, by providing a seamless process for association to FP10, will help to augment these relationships and ensure the most value for all involved.

International research collaboration drives excellence in European science and contributes to European interests. Landmark initiatives such as the Human Genome Project, Galileo, CERN and Euratom illustrate the transformative impact of collective action. These projects highlight that challenges of such scale cannot be addressed either unilaterally or effectively by Member States alone. They require shared resources, combined expertise, and coordinated governance. Promoting multilateral partnerships through the Framework Programmes is beneficial to drive greater scientific excellence, enable rules-based R&D collaboration, and to deliver R&D spend more efficiently by working on shared priorities across countries.

In this context, there are several considerations specific to the European Commission’s proposal:

• FP10 must continue to provide value for money for existing and prospective associated countries, particularly in the context of the budgetary increase for the programme. Associated countries currently represent around a third of Horizon Europe’s budget – a drop in participation would significantly decrease the scale and ambition of the programme.
• FP10 must establish a simplified and expedited procedure for renewing the association of countries currently associated to FP9. This will ensure agreements are put in place before the commencement of the programme to avoid any unintended disruption to research collaboration.
• In line with the principles of Global Europe, the Commission must identify pathways for deepening research collaborations with and promoting the participation of LMICs. The active participation of representatives from LMICs in FP10 consortia and governing structures should also be promoted, to strengthen partnerships and better identify research relevant to Europe and LMIC partners.

Philanthropies play a key role in supporting research and innovation. In Europe, there are more than 175,000 philanthropic organisations with an accumulated annual expenditure of €76 billion. The combined assets of European public-benefit foundations are over €500 billion. In the context of increased pressure on public budgets, philanthropies hold the potential to amplify EU efforts by pooling expertise and resources, offering strategic stewardship and early-stage alignment to priorities.

In this context, there are several considerations specific to the European Commission’s proposal:

• The proposal should include a pathway for philanthropies to discuss, co-design and co-develop research priorities at an early stage with the European Commission. As funders and thought leaders, philanthropies bring a diverse but complementary range of skill sets, but this potential is not being fully realised. There are ad hoc examples of philanthropies establishing strategic dialogue with the European Commission on specific topics, demonstrating a clear need for a regular dialogue to be established. This should be developed in recognition of the diverse perspectives that philanthropy in Europe brings to the table. Not all philanthropies will be potential funders to the programme but can nevertheless bring unique perspectives.
• The proposal should address technical and administrative barriers to philanthropic participation in EU research funding programmes. Streamlining administrative processes and adapting financial rules for foundation partnerships is a pre-requisite for increased philanthropic collaboration. Examples of simplified processes include ensuring foundations’ participation does not trigger disproportionate bureaucracy, allowing in-kind contributions from foundations, and – in case of co-funding – introducing joint evaluation frameworks to limit reporting obligations.
• Developing a co-funding/match-funding mechanism for philanthropy within FP10. While dedicated funding pathways for industry exist within the current framework programmes (e.g. the Innovative Health Initiative), no such route exists for philanthropy. FP10 should introduce a mechanism for philanthropic co-funding/match-funding, where partners jointly design activities and commit resources, in a transparent manner ensuring added value from the EU and adherence to financial rules. A fund that holds a portion of FP10 budget earmarked to match foundation contributions on a 1:1 (or 2:1, etc.) basis for specific projects or challenge areas could be a way to spur philanthropic investment, increasing engagement the programme. We believe the European Commission should establish a dialogue with philanthropies to explore these ideas.