What is Horizon Europe ?
Horizon Europe is the European Union’s research and innovation program for the period 2021-2027. It succeeds Horizon 2020 and has a budget of €95.5 billion, making it the largest funding program ever set up by the European Union.
Program objectives:
- Strengthen the Union’s scientific and technological foundations
- Stimulate its competitiveness, including that of its industry
- Implement the Union’s strategic political priorities
- Contribute to meeting global challenges, including sustainable development objectives
The aim is to anchor research and innovation even more firmly within the European Union, in a context marked by societal and European challenges.
The Horizon Europe program is based on four pillars:
Pillar 1: Science for excellence
- This pillar aims to support basic research projects through the European Research Council, as well as funding exchanges and scholarships for researchers under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions. It also supports networking, access and development in research infrastructures.
Pillar 2: Global issues and European industrial competitiveness
- This pillar aims to support work and research related to societal issues such as health, an inclusive, creative and safe society, digital, industry, as well as food, bioeconomy and natural resources. The Joint Research Centre is also included in this pillar.
Pillar 3: A more innovative Europe
- This pillar provides for the creation of a European Innovation Council to support innovation at national and local levels. It also addresses the need to organize European innovation ecosystems.
Cross-cutting pillar: Broadening participation and strengthening the European Research Area
- This pillar underpins the entire framework program. It supports activities that will help to attract talent, promote its circulation and prevent the exodus of skills from the European Union. This pillar also emphasizes a more innovative Europe that respects gender equality and encourages transnational cooperation.
Some examples of Horizon Europe projects:
- Support to RESAVER pension fund: This is a cross-border, multi-country occupational pension instrument that helps to remove obstacles to the mobility of researchers in Europe by enabling mobile employees of research institutions to remain affiliated to the same supplementary pension fund when they move to different countries and change jobs.
- Support for the organisation of EU-US symposia in the field of Transport Research: At these symposia, EU and US experts discuss and develop R&I recommendations on a theme agreed between the EC and the US Department of Transportation. All relevant European players are involved and collaborate: researchers, companies, innovation leaders, etc. – and key players in the transportation sector are consulted.
- Offshore renewable energy for defence: The aim of the project is to map maritime defence zones, assess their suitability for the deployment of offshore renewable energy projects, and analyze the obstacles and risks that limit their development and operation. Through research, simulation modeling and evaluation trials in European maritime spaces, the project will develop different regulatory, technological and operational solutions and alternatives to address concerns and needs.
- Towards the next generation of excellent young doctoral researchers on mental health by developing a cross-sectoral and transdisciplinary approach: Creation of a doctoral program of excellence for the recruitment and training of doctoral students in four major thematic areas of mental health and well-being research.
Horizon Europe represents an excellent opportunity for researchers, companies and organizations across Europe to contribute to innovation and scientific progress.
