What is Horizon Europe?
Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation. Following the Multiannual Financial Framework Midterm Review (MTR) decision, the indicative funding amount for Horizon Europe for the period 2021-2027 is EUR 93.5 billion.
It tackles climate change, helps to achieve the UN’s 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 supports creating and better dispersing of excellent knowledge and technologies.
It 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.
Legal entities from the EU and associated countries can participate.
New elements in Horizon Europe
- 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 earmarked for SMEs.
- Missions: Sets of measures to achieve bold, inspirational and measurable goals within a set timeframe. There are 5 main mission areas as part of Horizon Europe.
- Open science policy: Mandatory open access to publications and open science principles are applied throughout the programme
Factsheet: Open science in Horizon Europe - New approach to partnerships: Objective-driven and more ambitious partnerships with industry in support of EU policy objectives
More information
Presentation outlining Horizon Europe in 23 languages
Strategic plan and work programmes
The content of work programmes for Horizon Europe is prepared by strategic planning and the resultant strategic plan.
Funding opportunities under Horizon Europe are set out in work programmes. Download available work programmes.
Horizon Europe programme structure
Specific programme implementing Horizon Europe and EIT
Exclusive focus on civil applications
Pillar I | Pillar II | Pillar III |
---|---|---|
Excellent Science
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions
|
Global Challenges and European Industrial CompetitivenessClusters |
Innovative Europe
European Innovation Ecosystems
European Institute of Innovation and Technology
|
Part: Widening participation and strengthening the European Research AreaWidening participation and spreading excellence Reforming and enhancing the European Research and Innovation system |
Specific programme: European Defence Fund
Exclusive focus on defence research and development
Complementary programme: Euratom Research and Training Programme
Focus on nuclear fusion and fission research and training
Missions
Horizon Europe incorporates research and innovation missions to increase the effectiveness of funding by pursuing clearly defined targets.
The Commission 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
5 missions have been identified.
European partnerships
Horizon Europe supports European partnerships in which the EU, national authorities and/or the private sector jointly commit to support the development and implementation of a programme of research and innovation activities.
The goal of European partnerships is to contribute to the achievement of EU priorities, address complex challenges outlined in Horizon Europe and strengthen the European Research Area (ERA).
Read more about the different kinds of partnerships
Partnership and contact details are available to view grouped in the themes below.
Programme evaluation, impact assessment and monitoring
The Commission evaluates and monitors its funding programmes to assess the progress towards achieving the programmes' objectives and build an evidence base to improve their implementation.
Horizon Europe programme analysis and outline of the monitoring approach
Documents
Kontakt
You can contact the research enquiry service to find out more about research in Europe, the EU's research and innovation funding programmes as well as calls for proposals and project funding.
Latest
Canada is joining the growing group of non-EU countries who have associated to the EU's research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe, and will work jointly on large-scale projects tackling our biggest challenges.
The feedback is being collected at the level of the ‘Destinations’ or Missions, corresponding to the six Horizon Europe clusters, research infrastructures, European innovation ecosystems, the five EU Missions and cross-cutting activities and the New European Bauhaus facility.
The info days dedicated to the five EU Missions under Horizon Europe will be held online on 25 and 26 April 2024.