国际英语新闻:Portuguese PM calls for double access to European science, research funds

LISBON, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Friday that it was decisive for the country to have double access to the centralized funds of the "Horizon Europe" program for science and research, according to Portuguese Lusa News Agency.

He made the remarks at the signing ceremony of the "legislature contract" between the government and the higher education institutions -- a commitment that provides for an increase in funding of 55 million euros by 2020 and an annual growth in budget allocation of 2 percent per year by 2023.

The prime minister said that the "legislature contract" launched a challenge to all higher education institutions, scientific entities and companies regarding the mobilization of European funds, stressing the importance of "diversification of funding sources".

"In addition to the nationally managed funds... it should be remembered that one of the largest funds available in the European Union (EU) is centrally managed by the 'Horizon Europe'," he said before an audience of presidents of universities and polytechnic institutes.

"At 'Horizon Europe', we have to double our capacity to mobilize these resources," he said, asking the higher education institutions to increase the competitiveness of Portuguese science and research organizations.

In the "legislature contract", the government aims to increase the percentage of higher education graduates among adults aged 30 to 34 to 40 percent by 2023 and 50 percent by 2030 from the current 34 percent.

Horizon Europe is a planned seven-year EU scientific research initiative meant to succeed the current Horizon 2020 program. It is the EU's leading initiative to support research and innovation from concept to market, and complements national and regional funding.