Horizon Europe is the European Union’s key funding program for research and innovation. It runs from 2021 to 2027 with a budget of around €95.5 billion. Horizon Europe aims to strengthen the EU’s scientific and technological bases and the European Research Area (ERA), support its competitiveness and innovation capacity, deliver on citizens’ priorities and sustain socio-economic models and values.
The program has several key objectives:
- Support top researchers and teams: Through the European Research Council (ERC), Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), and research infrastructures.
- Foster collaborative research: Addressing societal challenges and industrial competitiveness through Clusters in its ‘Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness’ pillar.
- Open Science Policy: Ensuring that the results of publicly-funded research are accessible and usable for the public and other researchers.
- Innovation and Market Creation: Supporting market-creating innovation and the scale-up of companies through the European Innovation Council (EIC).
- Strengthening the European Research Area: By creating more opportunities for researchers and encouraging sharing of excellence across borders.
Horizon Europe integrates research and innovation missions to address societal challenges and promote European competitiveness. These missions are high-ambition, high-profile initiatives aimed at achieving tangible and inspiring goals in areas such as cancer, climate change, oceans, and smart cities.
The program also emphasizes international cooperation in research and innovation, recognizing that global challenges require joint solutions.