On Tuesday 10 February 2026, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) reported that it had signed a multiannual agreement with the Luxembourg Government worth €362 million over the next four years.
According to the FNR, the agreement runs from 2026 to 2029 and authorises the FNR to enter into commitments up to an overall ceiling of €362 million. The agreement forms part of the recently updated National Research and Innovation Strategy and confirms the FNR’s priorities for the next four years.
As per the agreement the Government authorises the FNR to enter into commitments up to an overall ceiling of €84 million in 2026, €88.2 million in 2027, €92.6 million in 2028 and €97.2 million in 2029. These amounts represent commitment ceilings: they define the maximum level of commitments that the FNR may enter into over the period. They are to be distinguished from payments, which are made progressively as projects are implemented. The ceiling covers the funding instruments managed by the FNR as well as its operating costs.
“This agreement provides us with the visibility we need to plan and deliver on our commitments, to fund excellence and to strengthen the contribution of research to the country’s priorities. Our ambition is simple: to invest at the highest level, accelerate impact and consolidate the conditions that enable research to serve Luxembourg sustainably,” said Dr Isabelle Mossong, Secretary General of the FNR.
The FNR said the agreement forms part of the Government’s National Research and Innovation Strategy. It highlighted that this strategy prioritises industrial and services transformation, personalised health, sustainable and responsible development and 21st‑century education and integrates topics that, it says, have become essential, such as data, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies, in connection with the initiative “Accelerating Digital Sovereignty 2030”. The agreement also takes account of the growing strategic role of research in the defence sector, as well as the increased focus on research security in a changing geopolitical context.
From 2026 to 2029, the FNR said it will implement its strategic priorities around three objectives: supporting excellent research aligned with national priorities, strengthening knowledge exchange and societal impact and consolidating strategic intelligence and ecosystem integration. It emphasised that this trajectory marked a deliberate shift through greater strategic alignment, increased ambition in terms of impact (including through mission‑oriented projects), a stronger focus on collaboration with economic and societal stakeholders and the development of anticipatory and coordination capacities serving the entire ecosystem.
“In a scientific and geopolitical environment that is accelerating, the challenge is twofold: to preserve excellence while ensuring that research delivers tangible benefits for society. This agreement reinforces the role of the FNR as a funding agency, but also as an actor of integration and evaluation in support of a public policy based on quality and transparency,” emphasised Martine Reicherts, Chair of the FNR Board of Directors.
The agreement with the FNR is part of Luxembourg's Ministry of Research and Higher Education multiannual agreementsfor the 2026-2029 period, which represent a total State commitment of €1,987.2 million to the University of Luxembourg and the country’s public research institutions.
