European Commission - Research and Innovation

Commission publishes new Research and Innovation funding programme

On 30 November, the European Commission published ‘Horizon2020’, a package of measures to boost research, innovation and competitiveness in Europe. This will fund EU research and has a total budget of 80 billion Euro. The programme will run from 2014 to 2020.

Horizon 2020 brings together all EU research and innovation funding under a single programme. It focuses on turning scientific breakthroughs into innovative products and services that provide business opportunities and improve people’s lives.  It also aims to make participation in the programme much easier (as compared to previous and current EU research programmes), with the objective to attract more researchers and a broader range of innovative businesses.

It will focus on three key areas:

1. Research excellence: this will support the EU’s position as a world leader in science;
2. Industrial leadership:  this will help secure industrial leadership in innovation;
3. Better societies: this will address major concerns across a number of key themes:

   • Health, demographic ageing and well being
   • Inclusive, innovative and secure societies
   • Food security and sustainable agriculture
   • Marine and maritime research and the bio-economy
   • Secure, clean and efficient energy
   • Smart, green and integrated transport
   • Climate action, resource efficiency and raw materials    

The Commission proposal will now be discussed by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, with a view to adoption before the end of 2013.

First Council discussions

At the Competitive Council, held on 6 December, Member States’ representatives were overall satisfied with the Horizon 2020 proposal. Ministers especially welcomed the efforts to simplify the Community research funding system, encourage the participation of SMEs in joint projects and the change of focus to marketable innovation from traditional research

For more information:

http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020/index_en.cfm?pg=home