The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on Horizon Europe, the European Union's next research and innovation program.
Despite the uncertainty we have faced throughout the year that is about to end, it appears that the European Union’s commitment to promoting industrial leadership in Europe remains unchanged.
As we mentioned in the article we published on this topic, coinciding with the conclusion of the Horizon 2020 program, the European Commission is working on the launch of the Horizon Europe program with the same objective as its predecessor: to support innovation in Europe and strengthen scientific excellence. To this end, it has a budget of 95.5 billion euros for the 2021–2027 period, making it the largest transnational program ever undertaken to support research and innovation.
After several months of negotiations, on December 11, 2020, the European Union institutions reached a political agreement on the Horizon Europe program. Although the agreement is still pending formal approval by the European Parliament and the Council, the Commission has been preparing for its implementation so that the program can begin as soon as possible following the publication of the provisional agreement in March and April 2019.
According to the information included in the provisional agreement signed in March, Horizon Europe is based on three fundamental pillars: promoting scientific excellence, supporting projects aimed at developing technological solutions to challenges in critical areas such as health, climate change, and mobility, and fostering innovation activities across all European Union countries. With the agreement set to be formally approved, the measures established by Horizon Europe to drive progress have been finalized:
- The creation of the European Innovation Council (EIC), a one-stop shop for developing the most promising ideas and supporting the most innovative SMEs, which is currently in a pilot phase and will complement the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).
- The implementation of EU missions, aimed at addressing the issues that affect our daily lives—from the fight against cancer to adapting to climate change and protecting the environment.
- A more streamlined approach to European partnerships, while encouraging broad participation by partners from the public and private sectors.
- Strengthen international cooperation by enabling collaboration with non-EU countries (third countries) that have strong capabilities in science, technology, and innovation.
- Promote open science by making access to research publications and data mandatory.
- Promote participation and narrow the innovation gap in Europe by adopting a wide range of measures aimed at supporting countries with lower innovation performance, in order to build centers of excellence and facilitate collaborative partnerships.
- Increase the impact of R&D&I by creating synergies with other European Union programs and policies, such as InvestEU, Erasmus+, EU Cohesion Policy, Digital Europe, and the European Structural and Investment Funds, among others.
- To increase legal certainty and reduce the administrative burden on program beneficiaries and administrators.
According to the press kit published by the European Commission, the implementation of these measures is expected to create 300,000 jobs by 2040—40% of which will be highly skilled—and generate up to 11 euros of GDP for every euro invested in R&D over a 25-year period. In addition, it is estimated that more than 35% of Horizon Europe’s spending will be allocated to supporting climate goals.
Notwithstanding the measures that are ultimately adopted and the formalization of the agreement, there is no doubt that this new program—which is even more ambitious than its predecessor— will help consolidate an innovative ecosystem in Europe, one that Spanish companies investing in R&D&I should take advantage of.
In this regard, it is essential to approach the calls for proposals published under the Horizon Europe program with careful planning and expert assistance that ensures companies are eligible for these types of opportunities. As part of our mission to support Spanish companies and institutions in their innovation efforts, we will stay up to date on the latest developments regarding Horizon Europe, as well as the first calls for proposals launched under the program.
You can find additional information of interest below:
- Press release issued by the European Commission on December 10, 2020.
- Press release issued by the European Commission on March 20, 2019, regarding the provisional agreement on the Horizon Europe program.
Authors: Alba Mª López and Marina Martínez