Spain and Germany are leading an initiative to strengthen collaborative science in Brussels.

No one is fooled: in a world where geopolitical conflicts and crises of all kinds are multiplying, the financial battle that begins next week in Brussels, when the European Commission presents its proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework , the budget to finance an EU willing to spend more on arms and defense than ever before in its history, from 2028 to 2034, is going to be tough. Aware of the tug-of-war that will unfold in the coming months over funding, Spain and Germany are leading an initiative, supported by at least half a dozen other countries, to ensure that in this fight for funding for programs and initiatives, an issue perhaps unknown to the general public, but key to other major European priorities, such as the competitiveness and strategic autonomy of the Twenty-Seven, is not lost—on the contrary, to strengthen it.

“We are convinced that only through robust collaborative research addressing key societal and technological challenges can the framework programme contribute to fostering open strategic autonomy, inclusive growth, talent attraction, and long-term social stability in the EU,” they write in a letter sent to the Commissioner for Emerging Businesses, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva , to which EL PAÍS has had access.

The last time so many voices joined forces in a letter to the commissioner was in March, when a dozen countries—also supported by Germany and Spain—launched an offensive to attract scientists who had emigrated from the US due to Donald Trump's cuts and policies.

Spain has been a key player in the EU's current research and innovation (R&I) framework program for the 2021-2027 period, known as Horizon Europe, with a budget of €95.517 billion. The push by the Science Ministers of Spain and Germany, Diana Morant and Dorothee Bär, who have so far been joined by their counterparts from Austria, Belgium, Slovenia, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Sweden, seeks to ensure that future European budgets continue to decisively invest—that is, fund—research and development projects. More specifically, within the framework of collaborative research, which, they state in their letter, "allows for cooperation between key academic actors from all countries" and is especially relevant for "the most innovative SMEs"—another of the EU's priorities—across the EU.

This type of project "creates maximum European added value, as it brings together the wealth of skills, experience, and knowledge of the different Member States, associated States, and third countries," the ministers emphasize in their letter to Brussels. Therefore, they emphasize, "collaborative research and the principles of competition and excellence must remain at the core of an EU-funded research and innovation program."

Collaborative research is the "heart" of the framework program, according to Science, as it focuses on programs that require the participation and cooperation of several institutions, laboratories, organizations, and companies, especially relevant for SMEs. Its focus is on such diverse and significant innovation issues as health, materials, and climate: from supercomputing to antibiotic resistance.

Although unusual, the joint interest of these two countries in promoting this request to Brussels is not surprising. In Spain's case, collaborative research accounts for 65% (3.14 billion euros as of 2021) of our country's return on this program, and for Germany, it also represents a significant portion of its investment in science. "Both countries are very competitive in this field," emphasize sources from Morant's ministry.