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The European Commission today welcomed the adoption by EU Member States of Horizon 2020, the next EU research and innovation programme. With a budget of nearly EUR 80 billion euro over seven years, Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU research programme yet, and one of the biggest publicly funded worldwide.
Welcoming the adoption, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commission for Research, Innovation and Science said: "I very much welcome the decision taken today, but the real work starts now. Over the next seven years, we will use every cent of Horizon 2020's budget to build a stronger, more innovative Europe - one that will be more competitive and improve the quality of life for everyone. We will launch the first calls for funding under Horizon 2020 next week on December 11. These calls will be a huge opportunity for scientists and businesses across the EU and beyond and are not to be missed."
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), which provide grants for research fellowships, and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) will both receive more money under the new EU Horizon 2020 budget.
The MSCA and EIT come under the responsibility of Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, who stated: "I am delighted that the Council has agreed to significantly increase the budget for the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, which support multi-national partnerships that bring research together with business and innovation. They provide the innovative higher education that the labour market demands and will strengthen Europe's human capital for innovation, which is fundamental to our economic recovery."
Horizon 2020 is a totally new type of research programme for the EU that has been designed to deliver results that make a difference to people's lives. Built on three pillars – Excellent Science, Industrial Leadership and Societal Challenges - it will fund all types of activities, from frontier science to close-to-market innovation.
The programme for the first time brings all EU-level funding for research and innovation under one roof, provides a single set of rules and will radically slash red tape. The overarching goal is a more coherent, simpler programme that will make it easier to participate, especially for smaller research organisations and small businesses.
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