Horizon Europe: key aspects of the programme

Horizon Europe: key aspects of the programme

Horizon Europe, the European Union’s research and innovation framework programme, started this year and it will run until 2027. After getting to know the first calls for proposals and awaiting the launch of the main part of the programme, it is time to ask yourself: do you really know what Horizon Europe is and the opportunities it can offer you?

In this first chapter of the series that Kaila will dedicate to Horizon Europe, we review the key aspects of the programme.

What is Horizon Europe?

In April 2019, the European Parliament and the Council agreed on the definition of this new framework programme whose general objective is to deliver scientific, technological, economic and societal impact from the EU’s investments in R&I, to strengthen the scientific and technological bases of the EU and foster its competitiveness in all Member States.

Budget proposal

With a proposed budget of €95,5 billion over seven years, (including €5.4 billion from NGEU – Next Generation Europe – dedicated to the EU’s Recovery from the COVID-19 crisis), Horizon Europe is the EU’s largest R&I framework programme ever.

This budget will be distributed as follows:

Horizon Europe builds a future for which we aim.

The European Commission (EC) is implementing the programme, based on the following principles:

  1. Open science: a new approach to the scientific process and the methods of diffusing knowledge through digital technologies.
  2. Open Innovation: opening the innovation process to all active players, so that knowledge can circulate more freely and be transformed into products and services that create new markets.
  3. Open to the world: fostering international cooperation to enable access the latest knowledge and the best talent worldwide.
  4. Social Sciences and humanities (SSH) activities: Integrating the socio-economic dimension into the design, development, and implementation of research and new technologies, to help find solutions to societal issues.
  5. A green Europe: Following the Commission’s proposal, 35% of the budget should be dedicated to climate objectives.

Horizon Europe has the specific objective of generating knowledge, increasing the impact of research and innovation in the development, support, and implementation of EU policies. Innovative solutions must be adopted in industry, with an emphasis on SMEs, and in society, to address global challenges, including climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals.

This implies that greater importance is given to the exploitation of results, with the support of the EC.

A quick guide about Horizon Europe

To have an overview of the Horizon Europe programme, its characteristics, structures and first calls for proposals, download this ebook, a guide that will provide you with in-depth understanding of the programme.