H2020: Analyse the corporations by country that have received the most funding

2 February 2021

In this article of the Horizon 2020 review, we are naming inside the most active European countries under the H2020 funding programme, the large corporations that have raised the most funds. You may or may not be surprised to discover that the top 5 companies operate, and more importantly cooperate, in the same sector, as do their main collaborators.

1. ITALY

Leonardo – Societa per Azioni – 118 M€

One of the world’s major players in Aerospace, Defence and Security, with a consolidated presence in five countries, delivers cutting-edge and dual-use technologies, meeting both military and civil requirements. In partnership with its customers, LEONARDO works to strengthen global security, protect people, territories, infrastructure, and cyber networks, guaranteeing the safe management of air, maritime and urban spaces, as well as large-scale events.

With almost 118 M€ received through the H2020 programme, these funds amount to 2.55% of the total funds received by Italy. They were distributed among 74 projects, 4 of which were coordinated by LEONARDO. Its main research and development sector is aeronautics (transport). With an extensive network of over 1000 partners, among which more than half are private companies (36% are large companies and 26% are SMEs), its main and most frequently contacted partners in projects financed by the Commission stand out for being the most distinguished in the sector: NLR STICHTING NATIONAAL LUCHT EN RUIMTEVAART LABORATORIUM (Netherlands), INDRA SISTEMAS SA (Spain), DLR DEUTSCHES ZENTRUM FÜR LUFT (Germany), EUROCONTROL – EUROPEAN ORGANISATION FOR THE SAFETY OF AIR NAVIGATION (Belgium) and THALES AIR OPERATIONS (France).

2. SPAIN

Indra Sistemas SA – 75 M€

INDRA, a Spanish company and world leader in the development of proprietary solutions for the transport and defence sectors, has benefited from its participation in the H2020 programme by obtaining almost 75M€, thanks to the execution of 94 projects, 22 of which were coordinated by INDRA. The funds raised by INDRA represent 1.45% of the funding received by Spain. Its core area of R&D is transport and mobility, with a focus on aeronautics, defence and security.

INDRA can boast of having an extensive ecosystem of over 1000 collaborators, which are mainly large corporations (36%) and SMEs (26%), all of which are highly experienced and prestigious in the aeronautical sector. The most relevant partners are the following: DLR (Germay), EUROCONTROL (Belgium), our gold medal in this ranking LEONARDO (Italy), THALES (France) and ENAIRE (Spain).

3. UNITED KINGDOM

Rolls Royce PLC – 70.5M€

ROLLS ROYCE is one of Europe’s top pioneers in industrial technology. It is a manufacturer of aero engines for large commercial aircraft, regional jets and business aviation markets. It has committed to strategic projects, having obtained a return of 70.5M€ from the H2020 programme, based on its participation in 23 projects, 8 of which it has coordinated, with a strong focus on the aeronautics area. These funds account for 1% of the total share attained by the UK.

Being more of a niche corporation, it has approximately 500 collaborators, half of which are private companies (large corporations amount to 37% of the total, and 25% are SMEs). Its most frequent collaborators are powerful and relevant organisations in their sector, among which the following stand out: ONERA – OFFICE NATIONAL D’ETUDES ET DE RECHERCHES AEROSPATIALES (France), SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES (France), DLR (Germany), GKN AEROSPACE (Sweden) and SAFRAN HILICOPTER ENGINES (France).

Areas of ROLLS-ROYCE-PLC projects within H2020

4. FRANCE

Airbus Operations – 67M€

Airbus has become an international benchmark in the aerospace industry, designing, manufacturing and delivering commercial aircrafts, helicopters, military vehicles, satellites and launch vehicles. AIRBUS OPERATIONS, comes in fourth place, based in France and has obtained 67M€ through the H2020 programme, which represents 1.06% of the funds allocated in France. AIRBUS counts 50 active projects under the H2020 programme, and has coordinated 9 of them, which were mainly focused on the aeronautical transport sector.

AIRBUS is positioned as a cornerstone of the aeronautical market and brings together over 800 collaborators, mainly large corporations (41%) and SMEs (25%); including DLR (Germany), NLR (Netherlands), ONERA (France), Astrium AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE GMBH (Germany) and DASSAULT (France).

5. GERMANY

Robert Bosch GMBH – 59.33M€

Bosch is one of the world’s leading technology providers, whose operations are grouped into four business areas: Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. This company concludes the TOP 5 companies, representing Germany, with 102 projects funded by H2020 (9 as coordinator) and received approximately 59.33 M€ in grants, which equals to 0.7% of the total received by Germany in the same period and programme.

With a more transversal activity than its predecessors on the podium and its R&D more focused on electronic engineering and IT technologies, Bosch extends its network to over 1500 partners, 37% of which are large companies and 31% of which are SMEs. Among its most intensive collaborators, you will find FRAUNHOFER (Germany), CENTRO RICERCHE FIAT (Italy), CEA (France), NLR (Netherlands) and AVL (Austria).