The European Commission has presented an €80 billion package for research and innovation funding, as part of the drive to create sustainable growth and new jobs in Europe. The new programme, “Horizon 2020” will make it easier for applicants to seek funding and is designed to help bring more good ideas to market. Horizon 2020 will run from 2014 to 2020.
Horizon 2020 will bring together all existing EU research and innovation funding currently provided through the Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP), the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). The different types of funding provided by the existing programmes will be brought together into a single coherent, flexible framework which will run from 2014 to 2020. It will provide funding for every stage of the innovation process from basic research to market uptake, in line with the EU’s commitments under the “Innovation Union”.
Horizon 2020 will be complemented by further measures to complete the European Research Area by 2014 (IP/11/1025, MEMO/11/597). These measures will aim at breaking down barriers to create a genuine single market for knowledge, research and innovation.
Horizon 2020 – new programme architecture
EU funding for research and innovation will be focused on three strategic objectives, implemented through specific programmes and a dedicated financial contribution to the EIT.
The first objective is dedicated to supporting an ‘Excellent science’ in Europe. A budget of €24.6 billion will strengthen the EU’s position as a world leader in science. This will include:
€13.2 billion for the highly successful European Research Council (ERC), which provides substantial grants to top-level individual researchers working in Europe.
Investment of €3.1 billion in future and emerging technologies (FET) to open up new fields of research and innovation.
A budget of €5.75 billion for the Marie Curie Actions to develop research and innovation skills through the training, mobility and career development of researchers.
Funding of €2.4 billion will also be available for supporting access to, and networking of priority research infrastructures across Europe.
The second objective, ‘Industrial leadership’, with a budget of €17.9 billion, will help make Europe a more attractive location to invest in research and innovation. It will include major investments in key industrial technologies such as Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), nanotechnologies, biotechnology and space (total of €13.7 billion). It will facilitate access to risk finance, which has a high leverage on private investment and has been shown to be a very valuable tool in fighting the lack of risk capital following the financial crisis (Dedicated budget of €3.5 billion). It will also provide EU-wide support for innovation in SMEs with high growth potential.
The third objective, ‘Societal challenges’ will see €31.7 billion allocated to tackling the major issues affecting the lives of European citizens. The focus will be on six key areas:
Health, demographic change and well-being; Food security, sustainable agriculture, marine and maritime research and the bio-based economy; Secure, clean and efficient energy; Smart, green and integrated transport; Climate action, resource efficiency and raw materials; Inclusive, innovative and secure societies.
The goal will be more than ever to bring excellent research results to market. This will deliver direct benefits to citizens, such as affordable health-care, protection against cyber-crime, and the transition to a resource-efficient, low-carbon economy.
For more information see: EC PRESS RELEASE