More budget for Horizon Europe: Commission mobilises more funds for research and innovation

The European Commission has used previously unallocated funds for the EU research and innovation programme Horizon Europe. This means that almost 1.4 billion euros can increase the budget for the 2024 research programme to a total of 7.3 billion euros. This was made possible by an amendment to the 2023-2024 work programme, which will benefit the missions in Horizon Europe, the New European Bauhaus and young researchers.

The amendment includes an almost 650 million euros investment in the EU missions. They will help tackle some of the challenges facing Europe, such as the creation of more than 100 climate-neutral cities and experimental actions that - among other innovations - will open up research and innovation opportunities in the EU for more young researchers.

The main features of this update of the Horizon Europe work programme include:

EU missions

The EU will invest €648 million in EU missions' research and innovation activities in 2024. The EU missions cover five areas and are an innovation created by Horizon Europe to find concrete solutions to some of our biggest challenges. The new actions for 2024 should lead, among other things, to restoring at least 25,000 km of free-flowing rivers, agreeing climate city contracts with more than 100 cities and improving cancer diagnosis and support for young cancer sufferers.

New European Bauhaus

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) aims to bring the benefits of the European Green Deal to people's everyday lives and homes. In the three years since its launch, the initiative has found solutions to specific problems. One example is the Towa project from Spain, which has developed a 3D printing technique using soil to provide architectural solutions for sustainable and affordable housing. The multi-annual budget support for the NEB 2025-2027 will be provided through two pillars: "research and innovation" to develop new ideas and implementation to scale up such solutions. In the revised Horizon Europe 2023-24 work programme, €20 million is earmarked for the NEB.

Experimental measures to attract young researchers

Four open themes are intended to give researchers more freedom to focus their work on a topic of their choice. A total of 76 million euros has been earmarked for this in the areas of health, climate, energy and mobility as well as "food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and the environment".

As part of an experimental measure totalling 15 million euros for the EU missions, knowledge institutions such as universities or research institutes will become contact points for local transdisciplinary research and innovation activities with European public relations work.

Cultural heritage

The amendment will also provide €48 million for the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage. This new digital collaboration space will help cultural heritage institutions, researchers, and the cultural and creative industries reap the benefits of digital transformation. It will complement the common European data space for cultural heritage funded under the Digital Europe Programme.

Pandemic preparedness

To prepare Europe for possible future pandemics, the amended work programme provides for an investment of 50 million euros for a European Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness.

Further information can be found here.

Source: European Union