European Commission Proposes Suspension of Israel From $110 Billion Science Research Program

Latest Developments

Proposal of Partial Suspension: The European Commission, the main executive body of the European Union (EU), has proposed partially suspending Israel’s participation in the $110 billion Horizon science research program due to the “severe” humanitarian situation in Gaza. To be adopted, the proposal must now receive the approval of 15 of the European Union’s 27 member states. If adopted, the decision will limit the participation of Israeli firms in Horizon’s European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator, a program supporting startups with an “innovative, game changing product, service, or business model that could create new markets or disrupt existing ones in Europe and even worldwide.”
Israeli Companies in Program: Israel has received $231 million of the roughly $1 billion EIC Accelerator program funding since 2021, making it one of the most successful participants in the program. Funding for Israeli startups in fields like drone technology, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence would be halted under the proposed move. In July 2024, nine Israeli startups received a total of $142 million in funding from the EIC, including MediWound, which produces a pineapple-based gel to treat burn victims, Nurami Medical, a biotech firm that develops soft tissue repair technology, and LightSolver, which has created a laser-based computer that performs tasks at the speed of light.
Israel Rejects Proposal: Israel called the proposal to suspend its participation “mistaken, regrettable, and unjustified.” The Israeli Foreign Ministry asserted that the recommendation strengthens “Hamas and therefore undermines the chances of reaching a ceasefire and a framework for the release of hostages,” adding that it “will work to ensure that this recommendation is not adopted by the member states.”

FDD Expert Response

“The decades-long campaign of eradication targeting the Jewish state has forged in Israel a crucible of scientific innovation. By threatening to withhold its funding for Israeli scientific research, the European Union would be depriving the world of these breakthroughs. And by pressuring Israel because of the plight of the Palestinians in the war that Hamas launched — and could easily end — Europe encourages the Iran-backed terrorist group to increase its ceasefire demands and reinforces Hamas’s strategy of maximizing Palestinian suffering.” — David May, FDD Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst

“Shamefully, the European Commission is now treading the same ground as the antisemitic ‘Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions’ campaign, punishing Israeli innovators for the alleged misdeeds of their government and encouraging the notion that Israel is a rogue state deserving of such treatment. One wonders if the bureaucrats in Brussels will ever wise up to the fact that Israeli technology is far better positioned to improve our world than is the moral posturing of the European Union.” — Ben Cohen, Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Director