The Horizon Europe Programme will run from 2021 to 2027 and it will be the world’s biggest research and development programme.
“To compete on the global scene, the European Union needs a stable framework for its long-term research and development for the future. This is why we have successfully pushed the European Commission and the Council to agree on the future Horizon Europe Programme before the European elections in May”, said Christian Ehler MEP, EPP Group Spokesman, after a preliminary deal on Horizon Europe was reached.
“We were able to agree, in only three months of negotiations – historically unprecedented – on a programme worth over €100 billion”, he added.
In an earlier vote, the European Parliament voted to allocate €120 billion to the programme, giving more than half to the collaborative pillar where universities, research organisations and industry work together.
“We still want to keep these ambitions when budget discussions on the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021 to 2027 begin later this year. We also agreed on five mission areas which include tackling cancer, and eight partnerships areas. We want to make sure that world-leading technology platforms like Clean Sky continue. We also improved the balance between in-kind and financial contributions from partners, allowing for more flexibility, crucial for industry participation, especially small and medium-sized enterprises,” Ehler said.
A few elements, such as the final budget and participation of non-EU Member States, will be agreed after the elections as they are linked to discussions on the MFF, which Member States decided to freeze due to the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.
“In the midst of the Brexit crisis, today’s agreement is a breath of fresh air. It shows that Europe is able to act and live up to research and innovation ambitions. Over a decade ago, EU Member States agreed to invest three per cent of EU GDP in research and development and have so far failed”, Ehler concluded.
Flickr/Sanofi Pasteur/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
