On 2 February, despite its unusually difficult preparation due to not only the COVID-19 pandemic but also Brexit, Horizon Europe was launched. The main goal of this funding instrument – pronounced as the most ambitious research and innovation programme in the world – is to make the EU greener, more digital, healthy and resilient.

Horizon Europe will run from 2021 to 2027, and it consists of three main pillars:

• The pillar on Excellent Science, which includes the European Research Council, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and the development of research infrastructures;
• The pillar on Global Hhallenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, which will have several clusters, such as Health, Culture, Energy, and Agriculture. It is mainly in this pillar that Horizon Europe focuses its support on European partnerships;
• The pillar on Innovative Europe, which includes the European Innovation Council (EIC) to support start-ups, alongside the European innovation ecosystems and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).

Together with these pillars, there is the overarching component of Widening of Participation and Strengthening the Europe Research Area (ERA), which aims to help all countries with their transitions.

European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, who presented a speech on the programme’s launch, mentioned the proposal of a Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe, based on four political intents: prioritising investments and reforms in research and innovation, improving access to excellence, boosting the economy, deepening the ERA to improve the free circulation of knowledge. She also discussed the main advantages of Horizon Europe:

• The European research Council (ERC), which is a renowned funding organisation that supports research;
• The European Innovation Council (EIC), which will focus on start-ups and SMEs;
• A renewed tactic regarding European Partnerships, to develop cross-partnership collaborations with mechanisms to ensure their transparency;
• Missions, which will cover 5 priority topics: Cancer, Healthy Oceans, Climate Neutral and Smart Cities, Soil Health and Food and Adaptation to Climate Change.

Regarding Cancer, the major goal is to significantly reduce death rates by 2030. The Mission on Oceans seeks to revitalize European water ecosystems and restore their biodiversity. The one on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities intends to make at least 100 European cities climate neutral by 2030. In regard to Healthy Soils and Food, the objective is to ensure that, by 2030, at least 75% of European soils are healthy and sustainable. Finally, the Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change seeks to fight and prevent heatwaves, forest fires, droughts, floods and storms.

However, these Missions are still in an initial phase. A more detailed plan is expected to be presented in the second half of 2021, with the selection criteria, scope of actions, timeline and financial resources necessary for these purposes.

In the framework of Horizon Europe, Commissioner Gabriel added that the first joint Action Plan with the Committee of the Regions will be a guide on how to amplify the possibilities to link with R&I funded at regional level. There is also the Recovery and Resilience Facility, with a budget of €672.5 billion, which is at the core of the Next Generation EU recovery package and can be used for research and innovation.

Image © European Commission, 2021