European funding of higher ed and R&I: "A need for a revolution rather than an evolution" (P. Boyle)

"The Draghi, Letta and Heitor reports all point to a need for a revolution rather than an evolution in the higher education and R&I sectors in Europe and their funding. They’re saying we need radical reform, and it will be interesting to see how the Commission responds", says Paul Boyle, Vice-President of the EUA, on 11/04/2025.

He is speaking at the EUA Annual Conference, taking place on 10 and 11/04 in Riga (Latvia), during the session titled 'Universities and the future EU programmes for a sustainable and resilient Europe'.

The role of universities is vast, according to Colm O'Reardon, Secretary General of the Department of Further & Higher Education of Ireland: "Universities are integral to the ecosystem of fundamental, applied and curiosity-driven research, as well as industry linkages and training of people at every skill level. All countries do it differently, but there is a commonality that universities should contribute to innovation and economic growth."

While Europe is starting the negotiations on the next MFF, speakers at the EUA Annual Conference highlight the need to…