Federal scientific research has suffered numerous budget cuts in recent decades. It seems that federal negotiations are calling into question the few remaining instruments to support the national scientific research dynamic.
The rectors of the five universities of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, like their Dutch-speaking colleagues, wish to highlight the importance of these instruments.
Whether we're talking about federal research institutes, historical nuggets of Belgian science, scientific cooperation programs between federated entities, such as FED-tWIN, or financial tools supporting research, such as the reimbursement of withholding tax for university researchers, these instruments help meet European objectives for state investment in research and enable us to tackle major societal challenges that go beyond federated entities, such as climate change, health or space.
As the negotiations for the formation of the federal government appear to be drawing to a conclusion, the Rectors would like to stress the crucial importance of preserving the instruments supporting federal research, a source of legitimacy, dynamism and competitiveness for both the State and the federated entities.
