What you need to know about Horizon Europe
The aim is to strengthen Europe's capacity for innovation and competitiveness, create more jobs, tackle climate challenges and help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The programme has three pillars
Funding for exploratory and groundbreaking research initiatives.
If you work in the private sector and have research experience, you can take part in collaborative networks and exchange programmes through the MSCA (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions) fellowship scheme. The MSCA programme also offers an Industrial PhD scheme. The private sector accounts for more than a quarter of MSCA participants.
Funding for thematic research and innovation in collaborative projects.
Solving global societal challenges requires close collaboration between businesses, industry clusters, research institutes, universities, the public sector, voluntary organisations and other stakeholders. This is why more than half of the Horizon Europe budget is dedicated to funding large-scale collaborative projects. The calls for proposals are divided into six thematic work programmes covering a broad range of areas, including health, digitalisation, climate and the environment.
Focus on market-oriented innovation and growth in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The EU aims to encourage open innovation and rapid scaling. This pillar funds the development of groundbreaking, innovative technologies with commercialisation potential.
EIC Accelerator
This pillar includes the EIC Accelerator scheme for innovative small and medium-sized enterprises with international ambitions and strong growth potential.
European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE)
You can also explore the European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE) programme, which aims to create more connected, inclusive and effective innovation ecosystems. The available funding will support greater collaboration and stronger networks within and between innovation ecosystems across sectors, disciplines, regions and countries in Europe.
European Institute of Innovation and Technology
The pillar also supports European Instituteof Innovation and Technology. The scheme funds competence networks known as Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), which offer a range of activities and programmes for start-ups and scale-ups.
The KICs bring together business, research, higher education and entrepreneurship to strengthen Europe's capacity for innovation across nine areas, including energy and climate, digitalisation, food production and health.
Funding solutions to global challenges
The EU develops and implements policy through both legislation and its programmes. In many ways, Horizon Europe serves as an investment instrument that runs in parallel with the EU's long-term budget periods.
Horizon Europe will place even greater emphasis than before on ambitious research and innovation missions to address selected major societal challenges. At the same time, EU research and innovation will be more closely aligned with the needs of society and its citizens.
Missions provide momentum and direction
A new feature of Horizon Europe is the inclusion of so-called 'missions', which will direct project funding towards societal challenges with specific, time-bound goals. Missions aim to address societal challenges by developing solutions faster than before. They translate major societal challenges into specific, measurable tasks to be completed within a set timeframe. Horizon Europe's missions will help achieve the European Green Deal, Europe's Beating Cancer Plan and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The EU has defined five mission areas
- cancer
- climate change adaptation, including societal transformation
- climate-neutral and smart cities
- oceans
- soil health and food
The mission areas are highly significant for Norwegian businesses and offer major market opportunities. For example, a mission to achieve 100 climate-neutral cities will accelerate a European megatrend towards climate-neutral solutions.
The missions will set a clear direction for market development, increase grants, reduce risk and coordinate policy instruments across sectors and disciplines. The missions identified by the EU align well with Norway's strengths and needs.
What this means for Norwegian stakeholders
Horizon Europe aligns well with Norway's research and innovation policy objectives and offers significant opportunities for businesses, industry clusters, public-sector organisations and researchers.
In the previous framework programme, Horizon 2020, Norway performed very well in the competition for highly sought-after EU funding, particularly for projects related to climate, the environment and energy. Norwegian participants received 2.5 per cent of the funding. Since 2014, Norwegian participants have received approximately NOK 15 billion in EU funding, of which NOK 4 billion went to businesses.
When Horizon 2020 was launched in 2014, the target was a two per cent return. During the programme period, we saw a steady increase in funding awarded to Norwegian participants. Norwegian participants took part in almost 1,900 projects funded through Horizon 2020.
Participating in Horizon Europe is about more than project funding. Participants also benefit from access to new networks, business partners and, importantly, markets.
The recipe for success
We work closely with the Research Council of Norway to strengthen Norway's participation in Horizon Europe. We offer a range of support schemes and advisory services to help public- and private-sector organisations through the application process and as they launch their projects.
Our EU advisers and our presence in Brussels are key to our success, giving us first-hand insight from the heart of the EU. We and the Research Council of Norway also have national contact points who sit on Horizon Europe's various programme committees and help shape programmes and calls for proposals in detail. These same experts provide guidance and advice to Norwegian applicants throughout the application process.