ERTICO – ITS Europe has joined 85 other European associations in signing the Joint Declaration for a Bold FP10, urging EU institutions to make research, development and innovation (RD&I) a central pillar of Europe's future competitiveness and resilience. The declaration calls for an ambitious and well-funded 10th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10) that can help Europe close its innovation gap and accelerate the green and digital transitions.
The coalition highlights that Europe is facing a critical moment. Building on the findings of the Draghi Report on European Competitiveness, the signatories stress that increased investment in RD&I is essential to boost productivity, strengthen industrial leadership and ensure long-term prosperity. They emphasise that FP10 is uniquely positioned to foster cross-border collaboration, leverage private investment and translate research excellence into market-ready innovation.
The joint declaration calls on EU institutions to:
- Allocate a substantially increased budget to FP10 for the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework.
- Reinforce collaborative, industry-driven research and innovation through a stronger Pillar II and continued support for public-private partnerships.
- Support the full research and innovation continuum, from fundamental research to deployment and scale-up, while ensuring strong synergies with the European Competitiveness Fund to accelerate Europe's green, digital and industrial ambitions.
As a long-standing public-private partnership established under the auspices of the European Commission, ERTICO strongly supports this collective call. For more than 35 years, ERTICO has brought together public authorities, industry, research organisations and mobility stakeholders to transform research into deployable Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) solutions. Continued investment in collaborative research and innovation is essential to accelerate the deployment of safer, smarter, cleaner and more resilient mobility across Europe.
By joining this coalition, ERTICO reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that FP10 provides the ambition, funding and collaborative framework needed to strengthen Europe's leadership in transport innovation and deliver lasting societal and economic impact.
Joost Vantomme, CEO of ERTICO - ITS Europe commented:
Europe's future competitiveness depends on its ability to transform research into real-world impact. FP10 must provide the ambition, resources and collaborative framework needed to accelerate innovation from research to deployment. By joining this coalition, ERTICO reaffirms its commitment to strengthening Europe's innovation ecosystem and ensuring that intelligent transport solutions continue to deliver tangible benefits for society, industry and public authorities alike.
The Joint Declaration for a Bold FP10 reflects a shared commitment across Europe's research, industry and innovation communities to secure a strong, collaborative and well-funded future for research and innovation.
Read the full Joint Declaration and discover how ERTICO is advocating for an ambitious FP10 that will strengthen Europe's competitiveness and accelerate the deployment of intelligent, sustainable and resilient mobility solutions.