EU on track to launch its most ambitious ever European research and innovation programme in 2021

EU on track to launch its most ambitious ever European research and innovation programme in 2021

(PRESS RELEASE) BRUSSELS, 20-Mar-2019 — /EuropaWire/ — EU institutions have just reached to partial political agreement on Horizon Europe. Horizon Europe is the future EU research and innovation programme and aims at facilitating the investment in research and innovation to maintain and improve the European way of life. The provisional agreement is subject to formal approval by the European Parliament and the Council.

Horizon Europe’s budgetary aspects are part of the overall agreement on the EU’s next long-term budget, proposed by the Commission last year.

The proposed budget by the Commission for the next research framework funding programme (2021-2027) is €100 billion.

Further discussions are yet to be made on the provisions on international association agreements as well as on potential synergies with other future EU programmes and policies depending on the progress made with other sectoral proposals within the EU’s long-term budget.

The Juncker Commission has worked on new level of ambition and commitment aimed at deepening Europe’s innovation capability that can provide lasting prosperity and preserve the EU global competitiveness.

The Horizon Europe programme was originally proposed by the Commission in June 2018 as part of the EU-long-term-budget for the years 2021-2027. Horizon Europe is in fact the most ambitious research and innovation programme ever and aim at keeping the EU at the forefront of global research and innovation.

Commissioner Carlos Moedas, responsible for Research, Science, and Innovation:

”I warmly welcome this agreement with the strong support for the new European Innovation Council and our mission driven research agendas. We are now on track to launch the most ambitious ever European research and innovation programme in 2021, shaping the future for a strong, sustainable and competitive European economy and benefiting all regions in Europe.”

Horizon Europe will step on Horizon 2020’s achievements and success and will continue to drive scientific excellence through the European Research Council (ERC) and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowships and exchanges. The Horizon Europe programme will benefit from the scientific advice, technical support and dedicated research of the Horizon Europe,  which is the Commission’s science and knowledge service.

The European Innovation Council (EIC), which currently runs in a pilot phase, will be introduced as part of the new Horizon Europe programme, will bring bring disruptive and breakthrough innovations from lab to market application, and help start-ups and SMEs scale up their ideas. Under the EIC, innovators will receive direct support through two main funding instruments, one for early stages and the other for development and market deployment. The European Innovation Council (EIC) will be complementary to the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).

The European Commission will now start preparing Horizon Europe’s implementation in order to have the first draft work programmes published in time for the programme’s launch on 1 January 2021.

Europe, relying on only 7% of the world’s population, produces one third of all the high-quality scientific publications and holds a world leading position in the pharmaceuticals, chemicals, mechanical engineering and fashion as well as accounts for 20% of global R&D investment.

Funding from the EU helped teams across countries and scientific disciplines to work together and make unthinkable discoveries, making Europe a world-class leader in research and innovation.

While inheriting the tested funding rules and procedures of Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe is optimised to maximise its impact, its relevance to society and its potential for breakthrough innovation.

Horizon Europe is a crucial part of the implementation of “A renewed European Agenda for Research and Innovation – Europe’s chance to shape its future“. This agenda highlighted the steps needed to ensure Europe’s global competitiveness and was discussed at the EU Leaders’ meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria in May 2018.

SOURCE: European Commission