EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation – Horizon Europe
About Horizon Europe
The ninth EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation was launched on 1 January 2021. The term of the programme is seven years (2021-2027), and it offers extensive funding with an overall budget of approximately €95.5 billion. Many established programme components from Horizon 2020 are continued, but new stimuli are also included.
The Framework Programme for Research and Innovation offers funding opportunities for individuals, collaborative projects or mobility measures in numerous academic fields. Horizon Europe is intended to make Europe greener, more digital and more innovative.
If you are interested in any of the various Horizon Europe funding programmes, please contact us at eu-ssc@uni-due.de.
Structure of the Horizon Europe
Participation
Individuals, legal entities and international organisations can participate. Organisations from EU countries, associated countries and low and medium-income countries can receive funding. Other third countries can only receive funding in exceptional cases if they are identified in the work programme or if the European Commission deems their participation in the project essential.
Funding for individuals is mainly available through calls from the European Research Council (ERC grants) and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions for researchers’ mobility and career development.
Calls for proposals for collaborative projects can predominantly be found in ‘Pillar II: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness’. The 3-from-3 rule usually applies for collaborative projects: three organisations that are not affiliated with one another from three different EU member states or associated countries are necessary to submit a proposal. In this context, at least one partner must be from an EU member state.
Pillar I: Excellent Science
With the first pillar, the European Commission aims to strengthen excellent fundamental and pioneering research. This area is characterised by a strong focus on the ‘bottom-up’ approach. Priority is given to academic excellence and strengthening the basis of research in Europe.
Funding is provided along the programme lines European Research Council (ERC), Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and Research Infrastructures as (individual) grants with no restrictions regarding the research topics. In Research Infrastructures, Horizon Europe places a focus on topics related to health, and green and digital transformation.
Pillar II: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
The second pillar of Horizon Europe asks for proposals on predefined topics in EU prioritised research areas. These areas reflect the goals of the EU’s policies for industry and society. Projects should make contributions to overcoming global challenges and to sustainable development in accordance with the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement on climate change. Furthermore, the synergies between the programmes are enhanced. Funding is usually awarded to collaborative projects.
Pillar II comprises six topic-specific clusters within Horizon Europe that reflect the entire range of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), among other things:
- Health
- Culture, creativity and inclusive society
- Civil security for society
- Digital, industry and space
- Climate, energy and mobility
- Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment
The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC) also belongs to Pillar II.
Pillar III: Innovative Europe
The instruments in Pillar III serve to promote all types of innovations: from technology development to knowledge transfer all the way to the market launch.
The European Innovation Council (EIC) is to serve as a one-stop shop that supports promising technologies with great potential through flexible grants and mixed-financing options. The EIC provides three complementary lines of funding that cover the entire innovation cycle.
In the European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE), measures are pooled to exploit innovation potential.
With its Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is to provide world-class solutions to global societal challenges.
Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area
Research and innovation potential is rather unevenly spread across Europe. The Widening participation and spreading excellence and Reforming and enhancing the European research and innovation system programme lines contribute to strengthening and expanding excellence and participation in research and innovation among so-called widening countries.
Horizon Europe Missions
Horizon Europe has also been supplemented with the new ‘Missions’ format. Missions serve as subject-related umbrellas, under which the individual funding formats are grouped around important topics of the future. Through these missions, the European Commission intends to address some of the greatest challenges our world is facing by means of ambitious yet realistic research and innovation activities.
The five missions are:
Calls for proposals
Calls for proposals for all Horizon Europe programme lines are published on the European Commission’s Funding & Tenders Portal.