This Winter Meeting 2024 discussion report 2 looks at how INESC can prepare for R&I funding after 2027. Portugal is expected to receive less from the Structural Funds and could lose its status as a “widening” country. EU funding is becoming more directional, meaning it is increasingly tied to EU policy goals: more managed, mission-driven calls, larger consortia, lump-sum grants, and a push for links between the Framework Programme, cohesion funds and national budgets. The Recovery and Resilience Plan has expanded INESC’s activity considerably but leaves open questions about keeping staff and maintaining that scale once the money runs out. The report sets out three funding scenarios (positive, status quo and negative) plus a likely mix of them. It closes with an action plan built on aligning with EU priorities, working more with industry, diversifying funding, and engaging in policymaking as a coordinated INESC network.
