How is the programme designed to deliver results?
Challenge
Research and innovation (R&I) contribute to improving people’s lives (e.g., through better health care) and work (through better digital services), and enhancing productivity, competitiveness and job-rich growth. They are also crucial for providing solutions to today’s and tomorrow’s challenges, e.g. in terms of environment and climate.
It is important therefore to further improve creation and diffusion of high-quality new knowledge and innovation in Europe, reinforce the impact of R&I in addressing EU priorities, ensure a more rapid uptake of innovative solutions; and more generally strengthen the European Research Area.
Gearing research to advance common EU (and indeed global) goals produces social benefits that exceed the private ones and indeed even those that flow to any individual Member State that supported such efforts within its borders or by its researchers. Thus, if left to the individual Member States, such research would be carried out at a suboptimal level. Only through action at the EU level can all the positive spillovers be fully realised. Conversely, in order to maximize EU value added, it is important that EU action in this area be squarely focused on objectives and activities that cannot be effectively implemented by Member States acting alone, but only through their cooperation.
Mission
Horizon Europe aims to promote scientific excellence and generate new knowledge and technologies, thus contributing to advancing EU’s objectives and policies (in particular in terms of boosting sustainable growth and job creation), tackling global challenges, and strengthening the European Research Area.
Horizon Europe will have a budget of around €95.5 billion. This includes €5.4 billion from NextGenerationEU to boost our recovery and make the EU more resilient for the future, as well as an additional reinforcement of €4.5 billion. Horizon Europe will be implemented also through the European Defence Fund and complemented by the Euratom Research and Training Programme.
Objectives
Horizon Europe seeks to deliver R&I with maximum impact along three dimensions:
- Scientific impact: creating high-quality new knowledge, strengthening human capital in R&I, and fostering diffusion of knowledge and Open Science;
- Technological/economic impact: influencing the creation and growth of companies within the Union, especially SMEs, including start-ups, creating direct and indirect jobs especially within the Union, and by leveraging investments for R&I.
- Societal impact: addressing the EU policy priorities and global challenges, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals, following the principles of the Agenda 2030 and the goals of the Paris Agreement, through R&I, delivering benefits and impact through R&I missions and European Partnerships and strengthening the uptake of innovation in society ultimately contributing to people’s well-being.
Moreover, Horizon Europe is designed to optimise delivery to strengthen the impact and attractiveness of the European Research Area, to foster excellence-based participation from all Member States, including low R&I performing countries, and to facilitate collaborative links in European R&I.
Budget
- EUR 95 698.5 millionTotal financial programming 2021-2027
| 2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 |
2027 |
| 16 939.6 |
14 015.9 |
13 800.6 |
12 364.3 |
12 608.0 |
12 857.7 |
13 112.4 |
In EUR million. Top-ups coming from NextGenerationEU are included. The top-up stemming from Art.15(3) of the financial regulation is not included (EUR 20 million in 2021).
Actions
Horizon Europe activities include: supporting frontier R&I at the European Research Council and the European Innovation Council; funding fellowships and researchers’ mobility (e.g., Marie Skłodowska-Curie. Actions); investments in world-class research infrastructures; supporting research into our biggest societal challenges (e.g., health, climate change, clean energy, mobility, security, digital, materials); and supporting policymaking with independent scientific evidence and technical support.
Delivery mode
Horizon Europe is implemented directly by the Commission or via funding bodies designated by it.
Performance framework: more information
Where are we in the implementation?
You will find information on the programme implementation in this webpage.
It will be updated when the programme will have started on an annual basis alongside the publication of the draft budget and the discharge.
Next publication (estimation): June 2022.
Predecessor programmes 2014-2020
Horizon Europe builds on the positive results of its predecessor, Horizon 2020. As a result of the interim evaluation of the Horizon 2020 programme, some changes were made that are continued under Horizon Europe for example the European Innovation Council pilot launched in 2017 to support breakthrough innovation. In addition, novelties have been introduced in Horizon Europe, notably:
- EU missions, to deliver targeted solutions to societal challenges together with citizens;
- Streamlined approach to European Partnerships, to rationalise the funding landscape;
- Extended association possibilities, to strengthen international cooperation;
- Open Science policy, to reinforce openness;
- Widening participation and spreading excellence, to decrease the R&I gap in Europe;
- Synergies with other EU programmes and policies, to increase the R&I impact; and
- Simpler rules, to reduce administrative burden.
Horizon 2020
- EUR 75 623.6 millionBudget allocation 2014-2020
Overall execution (2014-2020)
| |
Total |
% |
| Commitments |
EUR 75 616.3 million |
100%
|
| Payments |
EUR 54 198.5 million |
72%
|
This graph includes implementation based on voted budget appropriations and carried-over appropriations.
More information on the overall execution
- The total Horizon 2020 budget for the whole of the 2014-2020 period has been fully implemented in commitment appropriations. On the payment side, 71.7% of the programme had been paid to beneficiaries by the end of 2020; the level of outstanding commitments to be cleared in the next period amounts to EUR 21.4 billion, reflecting the long-term policy cycle in the area of research and innovation. In 2021, the Commission plans to pay EUR 8 billion, consisting of payments for the pre-financing of research projects starting in 2021, as well as intermediate and final payments related to the ongoing research projects. The outstanding commitments will therefore be around EUR 13.4 billion.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has also had an impact on the implementation of research and innovation projects. During 2020, beneficiaries requested to postpone the start of some future projects, and others submitted lower cost claims or requested extensions of ongoing projects.
- Due to the flexibility of Horizon 2020, it was possible to make an immediate redeployment of significant resources for COVID-19 actions, while taking the goals and the level of ambition of the programme into consideration. The EU has pledged over EUR 1 billion from Horizon 2020 to tackle the pandemic, of which EUR 780.8 million has already been mobilised. So far, EUR 602.3 million has been awarded to support research and innovation projects, including at least EUR 350 million to support coronavirus vaccine development. These projects address the development of diagnostics, treatments, vaccines, epidemiology, preparedness and response to outbreaks, socioeconomics, mental health, production and digital technologies, as well as the infrastructures and data resources that enable this research. A further EUR 21.4 million in grants will be awarded in the coming months. The EU also mobilised EUR 400 million in financing from the Horizon 2020 InnovFin initiative, including from the InnovFin European Fund for Strategic Investments and Infectious Diseases Finance Facility, of which EUR 178.5 million has been allocated to accelerate the development of vaccines (e.g. through allocations to BioNTech and CureVac) and other interventions, drugs, medical and diagnostic devices or novel critical research and innovation infrastructures, including production facilities. A further EUR 221.6 million in financing for the Infectious Diseases Finance Facility will be awarded in the remaining months of the programme.
Key monitoring indicators
| |
Baseline |
Progress |
Target |
Results |
Assessment |
| Share of European Research Council-funded publications among the top 1% cited |
|
>100%
|
1.8% |
7.0% compared to 1.8% |
On track |
| Cross-sector and cross-country circulation of researcher (in number of researchers) |
|
>100%
|
65 000 |
69 000 researchers compared to target of 65 000 |
On track |
| Cross-sector and cross-country circulation of PhD candidate (in number of candidates) |
|
>100%
|
25 000 |
27 000 PhD candidates compared to target of 25 000 |
On track |
| Researchers who have access to research infrastructures |
|
>100%
|
20 000 |
115 053 researchers compared to target of 20 000 |
On track |
| Total investment mobilised via debt financing and venture capital investments (in billion EUR) |
|
>100%
|
15 |
EUR 70 billion compared to target of EUR 15 billion |
On track |
| Amount of private funds leveraged (in billion EUR) |
|
>100%
|
35 |
EUR 41 billion compared to target of EUR 35 billion |
On track |
| Share of research activities in renewable energy, end-user energy efficiency, smart grids and energy storage activities |
|
>100%
|
85% |
90% of the research activities compared to 85% target |
On track |
| Number of peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals – direct research |
|
>100%
|
3 360 |
3 659 publications compared to 3 360 |
On track |
| Collaboration within the knowledge triangle leading to the development of innovative products, services and processes – number of start-up and spin-offs |
|
78%
|
600 |
466 start-ups and spin-offs out of 600 |
On track |
% of target achieved by the end of 2020
More information on the performance of the programme
- To strengthen and facilitate knowledge sharing and evidence-based policymaking, the Commission has developed a dashboard that provides reports on most (i.e. 18 out of 23) of the key performance indicators of Horizon 2020 (the ‘Horizon dashboard’). For example, the dashboard illustrates the number of high-impact, peer-reviewed publications for a given objective, along with the objective’s progress in relation to the target throughout the implementation of the programme. It thus makes it possible to gauge the performance of Horizon 2020. It responds to the need for more transparency as regards EU funding for research and innovation. The dashboard is available to everyone (at: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/op...).
- As indicated above, by the end of 2020, 71.7% of the programme’s financial allocation had been paid to beneficiaries. This reflects the fact that the targets of some of the key performance indicators relate to the year when the last actions financed under Horizon 2020 will be finished. The final figures will be collected after the projects are closed and the results reported, i.e. several years after the formal end of the programme in 2020.
- As far as the ‘excellence in science’ pillar is concerned, the performance of the programme is satisfactory. Horizon 2020 has succeeded in attracting and involving the EU’s and the world’s best research institutions and researchers.
- Since 2014, 6 517 high-quality research projects have been funded by the European Research Council via Horizon 2020. The share of publications from European Research Council-funded projects that are among the top 1% highly cited remains high, at about 7%, considerably exceeding the target of 1.8%.
- The EU has increasingly invested in future technologies, whether for economic, social or environmental reasons, including through the ‘future and emerging technologies’ programme, with a budget under Horizon 2020 of over EUR 2.5 billion. The future and emerging technologies programme has already generated more than 2 300 publications and more than 70 patents. Since its creation, the European Innovation Council’s pathfinder programme (see below) includes the two open actions and the proactive actions by the future and emerging technologies programme.
- Since 2014, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions have supported the mobility and training of around 69 000 researchers at all stages of their careers, including around 27 000 PhD candidates. They have funded more than 1 000 excellent international doctoral programmes involving universities, research centres and enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises. Based on the completion of the selected projects up to 2020, the programme has exceeded its target of 65 000 researchers, including 25 000 PhD candidates.
- Since 2014, 115 053 researchers have had access to research infrastructures (with 102 949 researchers having access electronically and 12 104 in person). This number exceeded by far the number targeted.
- As far as the ‘industrial leadership’ pillar is concerned, the programme is progressing well.
- ‘Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies’ projects have already produced numerous results: there have been more than 5 700 public–private publications, and 15 434 firms have introduced innovations with the potential to generate scientific breakthroughs. As regards the patents (556 applications and 217 awarded) the rate of 0.7 patent applications per EUR 10 million is making slow progress towards the target of 3. Since patents are generally filed at the end of a project, the Commission expects to be close to the target at the end of all funded projects.
- Under the ‘access to risk finance’ programme, more than 32 000 organisations have been funded – which is above the target of 5 000 – whereas an amount of EUR 41 billion in private funding has been leveraged. The total investments mobilised via debt financing and venture capital investments stand at EUR 71 billion, which is above the target of EUR 15 billion. The data provided are based on data reported by the entrusted entities implementing Horizon 2020 financial instruments as of 1 March 2021.
- The small and medium-sized enterprises instrument is producing more close-to-market outputs than other types of action, followed by innovation actions. So far, 2 676 innovations have been introduced to the market and 3 797 innovations to the companies. 88% of participating small and medium-sized enterprises introduced innovations that were new to the company or the market, exceeding the target of 50%. The small and medium-sized enterprises instrument has generated around 1 100 jobs and a growth of EUR 9.6 billion.
- The ‘societal challenges’ pillar shows moderate progress according to the key performance indicators.
- So far, this pillar has already generated more than 8 800 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals, about 7 340 public–private publications, 742 patent applications (patents not yet awarded) and 370 awarded patents, and has already generated 44 000 innovations, which include prototypes and testing activities.
- According to the information available, the societal challenges pillar as a whole reports the following: 4 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals per EUR 10 million, which is lower than the target of 20, and 0.5 patent applications per EUR 10 million, below the target of 2. Since publications and patents are generally produced at the end of a project, the Commission expects to be closer to the target at the end of all projects. The Commission notes that the targets were set in 2011 based on some preliminary data from the previous research programme (the seventh framework programme), which made it difficult to estimate the targets for Horizon 2020. This difficulty was taken into account in the design of Horizon Europe’s performance framework, for which a more precise estimate of targets is being carried out. The achievement of the key performance indicator on the share of the overall energy-challenge funds allocated to research activities in renewable energy, end-user energy efficiency, smart grids and energy storage activities, which is linked to the ‘secure, clean and efficient energy’ objective, has exceeded its target of 85% (currently, the share is 90%).
- As far as the European Institute of Technology is concerned, 2 153 university, business and research organisations have been integrated into the knowledge and innovation communities, slightly above the target of 1 200. The performance results also show that the collaboration within the knowledge triangle, leading to the development of innovative products, services and processes, is slightly behind in achieving its innovation target and in meeting the ‘start-ups and spin-offs’ target.
Concrete examples of achievements
- 58 328publications in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals.
- 31 339joint public–private publications in peer-reviewed journals.
- 3 089patent applications.
- 69 000researchers, including PhD candidates, having international or sectoral mobility.
- 186 510innovations financed.
-
Programme Performance Overview
