Quds News Network

Brussels (Quds News Network)- European Union representatives are meeting today to discuss a proposal to partially suspend Israel’s participation in the prestigious Horizon Europe program, a major academic research funding initiative. According to Haaretz, the potential move is considered a “serious step.” It follows recent statements from several EU member states that Israel is failing to uphold its commitments to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. Horizon Europe, run by the European Research Council (ERC), is Israel’s most important international academic partnership. It provides Israel’s universities with generous funding. The EU is the largest donor to Israeli academia. The Israeli National Academy of Sciences warned in May that suspending Israel’s access to the program could endanger the future of Israeli science. “There is a real risk that the recent political developments in the EU will seriously damage Israeli science and its cooperation with Europe,” the Academy said in a public statement. The program is already showing signs of distancing from Israel. Last week, only 9 Israeli researchers won grants from the ERC out of 100 applicants. In previous years, the success rate averaged 29%. This year, it dropped to just 9%, despite a consistent number of applications. The next Horizon agreement begins in 2028 and will offer €175 billion in funding over six years. This EU move comes as Israel continues to face international boycotts while it persists in the genocide in Gaza. Two weeks ago, Brussels and Israel agreed on expanding humanitarian aid access to Gaza. The deal promised a significant increase in daily aid deliveries, reopening several closed crossings in the north and south of the Strip. However, Israel has failed to honor the agreement. Israel integrates academic science directly into its military technologies. Its Ministry of Defense’s DDR&D (Directorate of Defense Research & Development) increased startup funding to around $168 million over an 11‑month period; five times more than the previous year, supporting about 86 startups directly and working with over 200 firms overall. Between Q1 2023 and Q4 2024, the number of startups in DDR&D programs grew by 72%, with roughly 300 companies receiving contracts worth over 1.2 billion shekels (~$330 million USD) . Israel has reportedly intercepted more than 40 drones using laser-based systems in active combat, leveraging new directed-energy weapons that cost mere dollars per use compared to tens of thousands per missile intercept. Additionally, its AI targeting system known as “Habsora” can generate up to 100 bombing target recommendations per day, far exceeding typical human output

EU Considers Suspending Israel from Key Academic Research Program Over Gaza Genocide

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