March 2026 Data (April Edition)

Section A: The Themes Hidden in March's Lobbying Data

Push for Influence over EU's NRPP Funding Regime

Lobbying by university and R&D groups such as Danmarks Tekniske Universitet, Riga Technical University, and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. surged as EU institutions, including EVP Virkkunen and Pres von der Leyen, debated the new National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPP), which now align all major EU funding streams under single national strategies. The timing coincides with higher education entities aiming to steer rules and priorities affecting research, innovation, and education investment for the next budget cycle.

📎 Next long-term EU budget: 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework — Legislative Train

Sector Responds to Overhaul of AI Regulation

The extension of deadlines and clarification of research and education exemptions in the revised EU AI Act comes amid an uptick in meetings by universities and R&D actors such as the COIMBRA GROUP and Black Forest Labs with the Direct. Gen. Tech Sovereignty and Comm Zaharieva (Startups and Research). The updated rules create more flexibility for academic users and tech transfer offices, matching observed lobbying interests in AI system governance by organisations including OpenAI OpCo, LLC.

📎 Legislative Train Schedule - Digital Omnibus on AI

Record Horizon Europe Work Programme Draws Sector Mobilization

The December 2025 adoption of the €14 billion Horizon Europe 2026–27 programme, with its mission focus and alignment with policy priorities, triggered a spike in engagement from social sciences, humanities, and university alliances, reflected in advocacy efforts from the Hochschulrektorenkonferenz and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft in their exchanges with Commissioner Zaharieva. The programme’s design and explicit call for R&I policy research are reflected in above-trend advocacy from research sector groups such as the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, in dialogues with Commissioner Jorgensen.

📎 Horizon Europe 2026-27: €14 billion for better research careers in a greener, stronger EU - European Research Executive Agency · 2026-2027 Work Programmes Published - Innovate UK

Universities Focus on Securing Flexibility and Compliance Latitude

Higher education and research groups, including OpenAI OpCo, LLC, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., and Third Generation Environmentalism Ltd, intensified their efforts through meetings with EVP Virkkunen (Digital Services) and the Direct. Gen. Structural Reform Support to ensure the new funding and digital regulation frameworks—such as the NRPP and Digital Omnibus on AI—offer administrative simplicity, research-friendly terms, and long-term compliance certainty. This focus comes as institutions anticipate operational and reporting changes that will shape future funding access.

📎 Next long-term EU budget: 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework — Legislative Train

Section B: Lobbying Activity by Industry

This section compares, by industry, the lobbying activity with the European Commission last month to its historical average.

Industry Lobbying Activity, March 2026

In March 2026, 5 industries from this sector were active in lobbying meetings with the European Commission, led by R&D: Natural Sciences & Eng..

Industries running notably above their historical average this month include R&D: Social Sciences and Humanities, Tertiary Education, R&D: Natural Sciences & Eng., and Educational Support.

On the quieter side, Other Education saw notably less lobbying activity than their historical average.

Section C: Lobbying by Industry for the Past Year

To contextualize Section B, this chart shows the residual trajectory of the same top industries from Section B over the past 12 months — the deviation from what would be expected after accounting for seasonal patterns and the overall trend. Persistent above-zero values indicate sustained over-activity; persistent below-zero values indicate sustained quiet periods.

Industry Lobbying Residuals, March 2026

This chart shows the 5 industries in this sector with the largest deviations from expected lobbying activity in March 2026. Positive values run above their seasonal trend, negative values below.

R&D: Natural Sciences & Eng., R&D: Social Sciences and Humanities, and Tertiary Education saw lobbying notably above expected levels this month.

Other Education and Educational Support saw lobbying notably below expected levels this month.

Section D: Lobbying Activity by Organization

In this section, we see the organizations with the most unusual lobbying behavior last month, defined by either unusually high or unusually low lobbying activity.

Organization Lobbying Activity, March 2026

In March 2026, 87 organizations from this sector took part in 105 lobbying meetings with the European Commission.

The organizations with the most notable increases in lobbying activity this month include The Shift Project, CENTRE FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY HELLAS, Atlantic Council of the United States, Inc, OpenAI OpCo, LLC, and Commissariat a l'Energie atomique et aux energies alternatives.

On the quieter side, Novo Nordisk Foundation saw notably less lobbying activity than usual.

New to the sector's lobbying records this month: Jacques Delors Friends of Europe Foundation, PlanQC GmbH, Swiss Rockets DOO, Fundacion para el Conocimiento madri+d, and JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH.

Section E: Lobbying of Government Institutions in the Past Month

Every lobbying meeting takes place with one of two types of European Commission body: a Commissioner's cabinet (political staff) or a Directorate-General (the civil service). This section shows the organisation-to-institution pairings with the most unusual lobbying activity last month, defined by the largest absolute difference between this month's meeting count and the pair's 12-month rolling average.

Lobbying of Commission Institutions, March 2026 vs 12-Month Avg

In March 2026, 87 organisations from this sector met with 44 Commission bodies across 105 meetings — split across 22 Commissioner cabinets and 22 Directorates-General.

Notable increases in lobbying activity this month include Danmarks Tekniske Universitet with Pres von der Leyen, Black Forest Labs with Direct. Gen. Tech Sovereignty, and OpenAI OpCo, LLC with Direct. Gen. Tech Sovereignty.

Section F: Organization Lobbying by Subject in the Past Month

This section shows the organisation-to-subject pairings with the most unusual lobbying activity last month. Subjects are classified from each meeting's title text into one of 19 EU policy areas. A meeting covering multiple topics counts toward each of them.

Lobbying by Subject, March 2026 vs 12-Month Avg

In March 2026, 72 organisations from this sector lobbied on 14 policy topics across 105 meetings. Meetings may touch multiple topics, so subject totals can exceed total meetings.

Topics with notably elevated lobbying activity this month include Commissariat a l'Energie atomique et aux energies alternatives on Defence, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet on Higher Ed, Skoda Auto Vysoka skola z.u. on Freight & Ports, CENTRE FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY HELLAS on Defence, and The Shift Project on Foreign Affairs.

Section G: Most-Lobbied Officials

This section lists the most-frequent lobbying touchpoints between this sector's organisations and individual European Commission officials last month, compared to each pairing's average over the past year.

Most-Lobbied Officials, March 2026

In March 2026, 118 European Commission officials took part in 105 meetings with this sector's lobbyists.

The most-frequent meetings this month were Foundation for European Progressive Studies and Roxana Minzatu + 1 other at EVP Minzatu (Education and Culture), OpenAI OpCo, LLC and Teresa Ribera Rodriguez + 3 others at EVP Ribera Rodriguez, Centre for European Policy Studies and Andrius Kubilius + 2 others at Comm Kubilius (Defence and Space), Atlantic Council of the United States, Inc and Apostolos Tzitzikostas + 1 other at Comm Tzitzikostas (Transport and Tourism), and Syddansk Universitet and Dan Jorgensen at Comm Jorgensen (Energy and Housing).

Most activity came from Cabinet members (88 meetings), followed by Head of Unit (20) and Commissioner (18).