Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation.

With a budget of €95.5 billion, the initiative tackles climate change, helps to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and boosts the EU’s competitiveness and growth.

The programme facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting and implementing EU policies while tackling global challenges.

It also creates jobs, fully engages the EU’s talent pool, boosts economic growth, promotes industrial competitiveness and optimises investment impact within a strengthened European Research Area.

 New elements of Horizon Europe

• The European Innovation Council: Support for innovations with potential breakthrough and disruptive nature with scale-up potential that may be too risky for private investors. This is 70% of the budget envisioned for SMEs.
• Missions: Sets of measures to achieve bold, inspirational and measurable goals within a set timeframe.
• Open science policy: Mandatory open access to publications and open science principles are applied throughout the programme.
• New approach to partnerships: Objective-driven and more ambitious partnerships with industry in support of EU policy objectives

Horizon Europe programme structure

Pillar I Excellent Science European Research Council Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Research Infrastructures Pillar II Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness Clusters 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 Pillar III Innovative Europe European Innovation Council European Innovation Ecosystems European Institute of Innovation and Technology

Mission areas

Horizon Europe will incorporate research and innovation missions to increase the effectiveness of funding by pursuing clearly defined targets. 

The Commission has engaged policy experts to develop studies, case studies and reports on how a mission-oriented policy approach will work.

• Read more about the mission approach

Preparing a proposal

Clusters and SMEs can watch the recording below from 24 March on ‘How to prepare a successful proposal in Horizon Europe’.

Find all the Horizon Europe open calls here.

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