The Guild sets out ideas to preserve FP10's civilian character in face of dual-use research

The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities has published a position paper on the introduction of research for dual-use goods in the next framework programme (FP10), outlining "the safeguards needed to preserve Horizon Europe's civilian character, research excellence and openness while responding to Europe's evolving security challenges".

The network of 23 European research-intensive universities acknowledged the current geopolitical context and the dual-use nature of emerging technologies, it said on 01/07/2026. However, it stressed that the introduction of dual-use research "must remain a carefully governed exception within a civilian Framework Programme".

Dual-use research refers to research designed for civilian purposes that can also be used in a military context. The European Commission has proposed to open the future EU framework programme for research and innovation, FP10 (2028-2034), to dual-use research, while previous programmes were exclusively civilian.

The Guild outlines seven recommendations so that EU institutions can ensure that the inclusion of dual-use…