Horizon Europe

95.51 billion (including 5.41 from NGEU)

EU flagship program for all areas related to research and innovation.

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Potential beneficiaries

Scientists and academics, research organizations, universities, industry, small and medium-sized enterprises, students, etc.

Description and objectives

Horizon Europe (or Horizon Europe) is the EU framework program for research and innovation. It promotes excellence in research and provides essential support for the work of the best researchers and innovators to meet the grand challenges of the EU and society. It aims to achieve significant impact at three levels:

• Scientific: through the creation of new high-quality knowledge, the strengthening of human capital in research and innovation, and the dissemination of knowledge and open science;
• Technological/economic: promoting the creation and growth of enterprises, especially SMEs and start-ups, direct and indirect job creation, and investment in research and innovation;
• Social: by addressing EU policy priorities and global challenges through research and innovation, providing, through research and innovation, benefits and impact at the general level of society and people’s well-being.

It also aims to optimize results in enhancing the impact and attractiveness of the European Research Area by promoting participation and collaboration in research and innovation in (and among) all member states.

The structure of Horizon Europe can be summarized as follows.

(a) Pillar I – Excellent Science:

• European Research Council (ERC)
• Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions
• Research infrastructure

b) Pillar II – Global challenges and European industrial competitiveness. Cluster:

• Health
• Culture, creativity and inclusive society
• Civil security for society
• Digital, industry and space
• Climate, energy and mobility
• Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment
• Non-nuclear direct actions of the Joint Research Center (JRC).

(c) Pillar III – Innovative Europe:

• European Innovation Council (EIC)
• European innovation ecosystems
• European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)

(d) Broaden participation and strengthen the European Research Area.

• Broadening participation and spreading excellence
• Reforming and improving the European research and innovation system

(e) Contribution to the research aspects of the European Defense Fund and Euratom.

(f) 5 specific areas on which to carry out additional high-impact research and innovation “missions” in response to major societal challenges:

• Climate change adaptation and societal transformation
• Oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters healthy
• Cancer
• Soil health and food
• Climate-neutral and smart cities

(g) European partnerships between EU, national authorities and/or private sector to support research and innovation activities on:

• Cross-cutting issues
• Digital, industry and space
• Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment
• Climate, energy and mobility
• Health

Types of actions and projects

Horizon Europe funds networking and coordination projects, research projects, innovation projects, pilot actions, market deployment actions, training and mobility actions, actions to disseminate and exploit results, etc. It acts through grants, prizes and procurement to promote the work of excellent researchers and innovators, and through other forms of funding to develop research infrastructure and promote mobility within the EU, as well as partnerships between member states, industry and other stakeholders in joint research and innovation projects.

Consistent with the program structure, its activities include:

• Support for frontier research and innovation (through the European Research Council and the European Innovation Council);
• The funding of fellowships and mobility of researchers (e.g., Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions);
• Investment in world-class research infrastructure;
• Supporting research in major societal challenges (health, climate change, clean energy, mobility, security, digital, materials);
• Support for policy development based on independent scientific evidence and technical support.

Again consistent with the structure of the program, Horizon Europe can span across a great many thematic areas. Funds research and innovation projects that address societal challenges with a focus on EU industrial leadership, post-Covid-19 recovery, green and digital transitions (e.g., high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, data and robotics, batteries, smart cities, cancer and rare diseases, zero emissions and circular industry, blue economy, etc.).

Highlights

Horizon Europe builds on the positive results of its predecessor, Horizon 2020. The main new features introduced are:

• The focus on finding solutions targeted to societal challenges and citizens’ needs;
• A simplified approach to European partnerships and the organization of funds;
• Expanded possibilities for international association;
• Policy to promote “Open Science;
• Broadening participation and spreading excellence to narrow the gap on research and innovation in Europe;
• Synergies with other EU programs and policies to increase the impact of research and innovation;
• Simpler rules to reduce administrative burden.