Horizon 2020: Commission proposes €80 billion investment in research and innovation

For Smart Systems Integration, there are numerous funding opportunities, in particular in the "Competitive Industries", "Better Society" and "Excellent Science" pillars of Horizon 2020. This because Smart Systems Integration cuts across several of the Horizon 2020 challenges and the enabling and industrial technologies, and will also be supported through the Future and Emerging Technologies objective. In addition, many of the novelties of Horizon 2020 are in line with the EPoSS input to the Green Paper Consultation (see related documents).

Background

On 30 November 2011, the European Commission has presented an €80 billion package for research and innovation funding, as part of the drive to create sustainable growth and new jobs in Europe. It aims at making it easier for applicants to seek funding. It is designed to help bring more good ideas to market. Horizon 2020 will run from 2014 to 2020.

Horizon 2020 aims at bringing 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 change people’s lives for the better. At the same time it drastically cuts red tape, with simplification of rules and procedures to attract more top researchers and a broader range of innovative businesses.

The set of proposals for Horizon 2020 consists of:

  • a proposal for Horizon 2020, laying down the general objectives, rationale and Union added value, the financial envelope and provisions on control, monitoring and evaluation;
  • a proposal for a single specific programme to implement Horizon 2020, laying down the implementation modalities and the content in terms of the broad lines of activities;
  • a proposal for a single set of Rules for Participation and Dissemination, laying down the modes of funding and reimbursement of costs, conditions for participation, selection and award criteria and the rules on ownership, exploitation and dissemination of results; and
  • a separate proposal for the part of Horizon 2020 corresponding to the Euratom Treaty.

Horizon 2020 has a number of new features that aim at making it fit for purpose to promote growth and tackle societal challenges.

These include:

  • Major simplification through a simpler programme architecture, a single set of rules, less red tape through an easy to use cost reimbursement model, a single point of access for participants, less paperwork in preparing proposals, fewer controls and audits, with the overall aim to reduce the average time to grant by 100 days;
  • An inclusive approach open to new participants, including those with ideas outside of the mainstream, ensuring that excellent researchers and innovators from across Europe and beyond can and do participate;
  • The integration of research and innovation by providing seamless and coherent funding from idea to market;
  • More support for innovation and activities close to the market, leading to a direct economic stimulus;
  • A strong focus on creating business opportunities out of our response to the major concerns common to people in Europe and beyond, i.e. ‘societal challenges’;
  • More possibilities for new entrants and young, promising scientists to put forward their ideas and obtain funding.

Focusing resources on key priorities

Horizon 2020 will focus resources on three distinct, yet mutually reinforcing, priorities, where there is clear Union added value. These priorities correspond to those of Europe 2020 and the
Innovation Union.

(1) Excellent Science

Horizon 2020 will support the EU’s position as a world leader in science with a dedicated budget of €24.6 billion, including an increase in funding of 77% for the very successful European Research Council (ERC).

This will raise the level of excellence in Europe's science base
and ensure a steady stream of world-class research to secure Europe's long-term competitiveness. It will support the best ideas, develop talent within Europe, provide researchers with access to priority research infrastructure, and make Europe an attractive location for the world's best researchers.

This will:

  • support the most talented and creative individuals and their teams to carry out frontier research of the highest quality by building on the success of the European Research Council;
  • fund collaborative research to open up new and promising fields of research and innovation through support for Future and Emerging Technologies (FET);
  • provide researchers with excellent training and career development opportunities through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions15 ('Marie Curie actions');
  • ensure Europe has world-class research infrastructures (including einfrastructures) accessible to all researchers in Europe and beyond.

(2) Industrial Leadership

Horizon 2020 will help secure industrial leadership in innovation with a budget of €17.9 billion. This includes a major investment of €13.7 billion in key technologies, as well as greater access to capital and support for SMEs.

This will aim at making Europe a more attractive location to
invest in research and innovation (including eco-innovation), by promoting activities where businesses set the agenda. It will provide major investment in key industrial technologies, maximise the growth potential of European companies by providing them with adequate levels of finance and help innovative SMEs to grow into worldleading companies.
This will:

  • build leadership in enabling and industrial technologies, with dedicated support for ICT, nanotechnologies, advanced materials, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing and processing, and space, while also providing support for cross-cutting actions to capture the accumulated benefits from combining several Key Enabling Technologies;
  • facilitate access to risk finance;
  • provide Union wide support for innovation in SMEs.

(3) Societal Challenges 

Finally, in Horizon 2020 €31.7 billion will go towards addressing major concerns shared by all Europeans, across six key themes:

  • Health, demographic change and well-being;
  • Food security, 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;
  • Inclusive, innovative and secure societies.

This reflects the policy priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy and addresses major concerns shared by citizens in Europe and elsewhere. A challenge-based approach will bring together resources and knowledge across different fields, technologies and disciplines, including social sciences and the humanities. This will cover activities from research to market with a new focus on innovation-related activities, such as piloting, demonstration, test-beds, and support for public procurement and market uptake. It will include establishing links with the activities of the European Innovation Partnerships.

More detailed explanation on key features of Horizon 2020 are available in the official documents, see below.

Other information

Breakdown of the Horizon 2020 budget 

Factsheet: FP7 Cooperation themes in Horizon 2020 

Horizon 2020 PowerPoint presentation  247 KB

Official Documents: Proposals

Horizon 2020 - The Framework Programme for Research and Innovation - Communication from the Commission  92 KB

Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and Council establishing Horizon 2020 - the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-20  477 KB

Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and Council laying down the rules for the participation and dissemination in Horizon 2020  109 KB

Proposal for a Council Decision establishing the Specific Programme implementing Horizon 2020  526 KB

Proposal for a Council Regulation on the research and training programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2014-18) complementing Horizon 2020  275 KB