Horizon Europe?
Horizon Europe as successor to the current Horizon 2020 programme will continue its status as Europe’s main funding programme for R&D. Of the €95.5 billion pot, €53.8 billion has been ringfenced to address Global Challenges and to improve European Industrial Competitiveness in the following priority sectors:
- 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
Across each of the above challenges, specific calls will be launched in April 2021 with the first deadlines expected from Summer 2021. Whilst the exact nature of the calls is yet to be finalised, it is expected to follow a similar format to the current Horizon 2020 programme based upon collaborative research and favouring larger projects with the average project above £1.5M in total costs.
Why is this important for the UK?
The UK has a strong track record in EU research competitions. From 2007-2013, the UK participated in over 10,000 projects, with UK organisations securing over €7 billion in funding (15% of total awarded funding) during that period. In Horizon 2020, despite Brexit-induced uncertainty, the UK still secured over €5.9 billion in funding (13.5% of the total funding allocation), placing us as the second biggest recipient behind Germany.
Whilst the UK’s ‘Associate’ status has yet to be made official with some final negotiation activity ongoing, Horizon Europe access provides a significant boost for the UK and particularly those businesses looking to scale their R&D activity with recognised value in European collaboration, whether to strengthen end user relationships or to leverage knowledge and expertise from European industry or academia.
How can PNO help?
If you are looking for insight into the draft work programmes, help in finding collaborative partners or guidance in the application process, PNO are well placed to support you. With a 35 year track record in supporting businesses across all industry sectors and over 3000 EU proposals submitted each year, PNO are a recognised leader in the field of innovation funding and can guide you through both the national and EU grants landscape. Whether your focus is more national or your technology is at an early stage, do not hesitate to contact us.
