QCEA has done work on the European Security Research Programme for several years; this was focused initially on making the programme better known in order to demonstrate the involvement of the defence industry in the programme. This briefing paper brings this strand of our work together with research we have undertaken on the security strategies of the European Union and the Member States and on the EU response to terrorism. We are publishing this paper as a contribution to the discussions taking place in 2011 (and beyond) on the framework programme for research beyond 2014 called Horizon 2020.
The Security Research theme of the 7th Research Framework Programme (applicable from 2007 to 2013 is
funded at a level of €1.4 billion out of a at total research budget of € 50.5 billion. Horizon 2020 is set to be much bigger; the figure proposed by the European Commission is € 80 billion. Even if the Security Research Programme stayed at the same proportion of the overall programme it has now, it would see a significant increase in resources; however, it is far more likely that it will absorb a larger proportion of the funding. So the issue of what is done with this money – EU taxpayer’s money to be specific – becomes ever more important.