Horizon Europe

The inauguration conference was attended online by representative of policy institutions and research and innovation communities. During specific sessions, they all discussed such issues as how to achieve synergies between Horizon Europe and national public and private projects to accelerate green and digital transition to support the new European Research Area. Speakers explored how these synergies can be supported as part of Recovery and Resilience Plans.

"Horizon Europe is the first European programme designed with huge involvement from citizens and stakeholders. I strongly believe that together we can unlock the innovation potential of Europe's research and education," said Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. She reminded everyone that the project's budget was negotiated "in difficult circumstances, with more uncertainties than usual, arising from the COVID pandemics that is hitting hard our societies and our economies, but also from the UK leaving the Union". "It was not easy but we have made it! The budget of Horizon Europe has increased by 30% in comparison to Horizon 2020. It provides a clear political message to the world: Europeans have decided that research and innovation will drive their future," she added.

Horizon Europe is EU's ninth framework programme for research and innovation, and the most ambitious one so far. Its budget is more than EUR 95 billion, which makes it the largest international programme of this kind in the world. 

The Commission proposes a Pact for Research and Innovation

Symbolically opened on Tuesday, the Horizon Europe programme will promote scientific excellence and provide valuable support to top researchers and innovators to push the frontiers of science, and to expand on their knowledge and skills, to tackle our economic and social challenges. 

An important crosscutting component of the programme will support the Widening of Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area. "I would like to stress the need to look at Horizon Europe in the wider policy framework of a New European Research Area where we propose a Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe," said Commissioner Gabriel.

The Pact to be defined as a voluntary initiative and should lead to the strengthening of cooperation and aligning regional, national and European investments. It will be built on key principles and values, enhancing transparency to guide European actions, backing the four political objectives:

1. Prioritising investments and reforms in R&I and focusing on the digital and green transformation and on the recovery.
2. Improving access to excellence, progressing towards more excellence across the whole of the EU and stronger R&I systems where best practice is disseminated faster across Europe;
3. Translating R&I results into the economy to boost the resilience and competitiveness of our economies and societies.
4. Deepening the ERA, to further progress on the free circulation of knowledge in particular by moving from an approach of coordination towards deeper integration between national policies.

Commissioner Gabriel proposed to work together through the ERA Forum for Transition as the single entry point for strategic discussions to define key priorities for joint action.

New instruments, new opportunities

Horizon Europe will also support research based on collaboration between business and science, and reinforce technological and industrial capacities through thematic clusters that address the full spectrum of global challenges.  

In addition, the programme will introduce new instruments such as the European Innovation Council (EIC), European missions and European partnerships, to improve the R&I situation within the EU.  

EU missions will focus on issues that affect our daily lives, ranging from fighting cancer to adapting to climate change, living in greener cities, protecting our waters and ocean, ensuring soil health for food, and regions resilient to climate changes. Covering critical areas such as energy, transport, biodiversity, health, food and circularity, a streamlined number of European Partnerships will encourage wide participation of partners from public and private sectors.

Commissioner Mariya Gabriel emphasised that this new approach to European Partnerships will improve transparency and their strategic management. Their number has been significantly reduced from over 120 in Horizon 2020, to 49 in Horizon Europe.

"We are setting up strategic coordination mechanisms that will allow cross-partnership collaborations. It makes a lot of sense to build synergies and collaborations in areas of transport, smart mobility with hydrogen or artificial intelligence. The result should support both green deal sustainability goals but also the innovation our industry needs to face big transformations ahead. Strategic cooperation between public and private actors is necessary to leverage all European forces and accelerate the development and uptake of new joint solutions to common global challenges," Commissioner Gabriel added.

The European Innovation Council, which had been running in a pilot phase for the last two years of Horizon 2020, will provide support for emerging and breakthrough innovations by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), start-ups, and midcaps. It will complement the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). Moreover, European innovation ecosystems will be boosted by connecting with regional and national innovation actors.  

"The new Horizon Europe provides many interesting opportunities for Polish research facilities and businesses. Our National Contact Point is preparing extensive and innovative training and consultation services for Polish applicants to successfully take advantage of the huge potential offered by the programme," said Magdalena Bem-Andrzejewska, Head of the National Contact Point Department in the National Centre for Research and Development. "Recognised as a leader in widening, Poland can and should play the strategic role of a leader in this part of the EU. I am confident that the new instruments introduced in HE, as well as synergy-oriented measures, including at the national level, will contribute to our applicants' successes," she stressed.

With its powerful funding and next-level synergies with other EU programmes and instruments, Horizon Europe will pave the way out of the current crisis towards a fair, green, resilient, and inclusive future.

Full speech by Commissioner Mariya Gabriel.