Horizon Europe (HEU) is the flagship EU Research and Innovation Programme, succeeding Horizon 2020 and running from 2021 to 2027, with an ambitious budget of €93.5 billion.
One of the main novelties compared to previous frameworks is that Horizon Europe is designed with an investment-based rationale to innovation, complementing the grant schemes, as well as incorporating a mission-driven approach. This mission-driven approach is linked to addressing complex societal challenges through openness and collaboration, hence relevant to a broad range of stakeholders and citizens.
Horizon Europe consists of several funding programmes under 3 pillars – Excellent Science (Pillar 1), Global Challenges (Pillar 2), and Innovative Europe (Pillar 3). In general, the Horizon Europe approach is to tackle societal challenges by providing support to bridge the gap between R&D and market. The main goal, essentially, is helping innovative enterprises to develop their technological breakthroughs into viable products with real commercial value.
The most relevant elements in Horizon Europe for companies:
Horizon Europe also harbours specialised programmes such as the European Defence Fund (EDF) aiming to promote cooperation between companies and research institutions, boost the defensive capabilities, and help companies develop cutting-edge defence technologies.
For more detailed information and latest updates, see the official programme website.
