The Aeronautical Budget in HORIZON 2020 According to the latest Press Release of the European Commission concerning the Research and Innovation budget of HORIZON 2020 (H2020), a total of 70 billion Euros (B€) has been approved, of which 8.23% is attributed to Transport, that is 5.761 B€, for the seven year period of the H2020 program. According to reliable sources, the Commission is considering, within the budget distribution in Transport, which covers Air, Land, Rail and Sea, to allocate 2.6 B€ to Aeronautics, representing 45.1% of the Transport budget. However, within this budget, 1.8 B€ is attributed to the JTI CLEANSKY-2 and 600 M€ to the Joint Undertaking (JU) of the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research (SESAR). As a consequence, 200 M€ are left for the collaborative projects (L1 and L2, with a 50-50% repartition) over a period of 7 years!! This is the worst scenario that the research and industrial aeronautical community could imagine, and ignores the positions outlined by ACARE and by the IMG4 industrial groups. Both representative committees urge the EC to maintain the budget for Collaborative research at the FP7 level of 1.2 B€ within H2020. As stated in the ACARE position of July 2013: We should safeguard and strengthen the leadership and future competitiveness of the European aviation sector for Europe’s recovery, in the context of de-industrialization and ever growing global competition. The technology-intensive Aviation sector is characterized by very long R&T cycles it is therefore essential to maintain multiannual visibility and continuity of Aviation innovative technological research activities within Horizon 2020. As stated in the IMG4 document of July 2013: As required for the low or medium technology readiness levels (primarily TRL 1-4, but not exclusive), the collaborative research instruments allow developing and analyzing more competing technological solutions or path ways in any relevant domain as brought forward by different stakeholders. Through technological advancement and selective demonstrations they allow identifying the best technologies. Making appropriate use of these instruments is vital to address fundamental new technology research and to single out the best first technology applications that are needed to efficiently nourish future larger investments on integrated demonstrators. We wish to draw the most severe attention of the EC member nations that this drastic reduction of the budget for collaborative research in Aeronautics will undermine and destroy the existing dynamical innovation grounds and endanger, for a long period, the future of the European research and Innovation base in Aeronautics. The European Research, Academic and industrial community is unanimous in denouncing this dangerous and threatening decision for the future of the European Aviation Industry. It urges the Council to revise this proposal from the Commission.
Prof. Charles Hirsch Fellow of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and Arts President, NUMECA int. Deputy Chairman ERCOFTAC

Prof. Francesco Martelli Chairman of EUROTURBO
Dr David Marshall Chairman of CEAS
Dr Jean-Pierre Taran, Chairman of EUCASS