Green transition and the EU’s long-term competitiveness "go hand in hand", The Guild says

The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities has published a statement calling for investment in sustainability and climate research to "go hand in hand" with the EU's growing focus on competitiveness, resilience and economic security.

In a statement published on 24/09/2026, the network of 23 European research-intensive universities said "sustainability research should remain a strategic priority for addressing the EU’s interconnected environmental, societal and economic challenges" as the EU is currently discussing the future research programme FP10 and the European Competitiveness Fund.

The association argues that the summer of 2026 was a good example that the EU was facing crises (drought, extreme heat and other climate-related events) with growing impacts on its population's…