Following the Russian military invasion of Ukraine and in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, the European Commission (EC) has decided to suspend cooperation with Russian entities in research, science and innovation.
On 3 March 2022, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel announced a series of measures impacting Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe funded projects. The EC will not conclude any new contracts or agreements with Russian organisations under the EU funding programmes and will suspend payments to Russian entities under existing contracts. All ongoing projects in which Russian research organisations are participating, are being reviewed both under the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe programmes.
As the Horizon 2020-funded AQUAEXCEL3.0 project offers researchers transnational access to aquaculture Research Infrastructures across Europe, the project will no longer consider Russian applicants for participation in the transnational access programme, in line with the EC and in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
Commissioner Gabriel said: “Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine is an attack on freedom, democracy and self-determination, on which cultural expression, academic and scientific freedom and scientific cooperation are based. As a result, we have decided not to engage into further cooperation projects in research and innovation with Russian entities.”
The assessment of the situation regarding Belarus is ongoing.
The full statement of Commissioner Gabriel is available here.
For more information, you can read the press release published by the Commission here.