Invest to shape the future. This is the vision of Horizon Europe, the European framework program to support research and innovation.
In this article we go over what it is about, the goals of the program, and how to access funding.
What is Horizon Europe?
Horizon Europe is the new European Union funding program for business research and innovation for the programming period from 2021 to 2027.
It stands out as the most ambitious financial instrument in this field, with a budget of €95.5 billion (including €5.4 billion from the Next Generation EU program for the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis). This fund will be divided as follows:
- Scientific excellence – 25 billion
- Global challenges and European industrial competitiveness – 53.5 billion
- Innovative Europe – 13.6 billion
- “Enlargement and SER” – 3.4 billion
Accordingly, Horizon Europe intervenes in three macro-areas:
- Science and technology: nurture the EU’s scientific and technological excellence and strengthen the European Research Area (ERA).
- Economy: boosting the diffusion of innovation, competitiveness, and job creation in Europe.
- Society: Addressing policy priorities, including the green and digital transitions and the Sustainable Development Goals.
To succeed in its intent, the program adopts a mission-oriented approach. That is, through interdisciplinary actions aimed at achieving a bold, stimulating and measurable goal within a pre-established period.
Objectives of Horizon Europe 2021-2027
Horizon Europe has the following objectives:
- Improve science and technology in the EU through increased investment in highly skilled people and cutting-edge research.
- Promotion of the EU’s industrial competitiveness and its innovation performance, in particular by supporting innovation that creates new markets through the European Innovation Council and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.
- EU strategic priorities, such as the Paris Agreement on climate change, by addressing global challenges that affect the quality of our daily lives.
Also:
- Tackle climate change, help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
- Facilitate collaboration and enhance the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting and implementing EU policies by addressing global challenges. It supports the creation and better diffusion of excellent knowledge and technologies.
- Create jobs, fully engage the EU’s talent pool, stimulate economic growth, boost industrial competitiveness and maximize the impact of investments within a strengthened European Research Area.
Horizon Europe: who can participate?
Participation in Horizon Europe is open to legal entities, irrespective of their place of establishment, including legal entities from third countries not associated with the Program or international organisations. It is essential to highlight that participation in the program is independent of whether or not the subject in question can receive European funding.
By legal entities we mean legal persons, natural persons and entities without legal personality compatibly with the art. 197(2)(c) of the Financial Regulation.