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Shaping Europe’s Future with FP10 – Position Paper on the 10th European Framework Programme

Policy Paper

A summary report capturing the key discussions, findings and follow-up actions from the INESC Brussels HUB’s 2026 Summer Meeting on European research infrastructure priorities.

Executive summary

In this position paper, INESC TEC, the leading Research and Technology Organisation in Portugal, sets out its recommendations for the 10th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10, 2028–2034), to support Europe’s ambition to become a global leader in innovation and technology. It argues that technological sovereignty and economic resilience depend on a well-coordinated, forward-looking R&I agenda that tackles societal challenges such as climate change, digital transformation and public health. The recommendations are organised around four dimensions: strategic global leadership, development and sustainability of ecosystems, forward-looking funding, and excellence in implementation.

Key takeaways

  • Europe must take a proactive, strategic approach to global leadership in key areas such as digital technologies, green energy, advanced manufacturing and biotechnology, backed by stable policy and funding.
  • FP10 should strengthen cross-border value chains and give R&I infrastructures sustainable funding and broad accessibility, as essential pillars of Europe's research landscape.
  • Funding should prioritise emerging technologies with transformative potential, such as quantum computing, AI, biotechnology and advanced materials, supported by a strong pipeline from lab to market.
  • A results-oriented FP10, using Objectives and Key Results (OKR) approaches tailored to each phase of the innovation cycle, would reduce bureaucracy and increase impact.
  • All Member States should renew their commitment to investing at least 3% of GDP in R&D, which is as critical to Europe's competitiveness as the 2% commitment to defence

Authors & download

Authors: INESC TEC Policy Team
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Last reviewed / validation

17/08/2026