On 16 July, the Commission put forward its proposal for the next European Programme for Research & Innovation for the period 2028-2034. The Commission proposes a continuation of Horizon Europe after 2027 with an enhanced budget of €175 billion and a new four-pillar structure:

• Pillar I ‘Excellent Science’: supporting top-tier research to drive groundbreaking discoveries. The Commission proposes an expanded European Research Council.
• Pillar II ‘Competitiveness & Society’: tackling societal challenges and boosting competitiveness. The Competitiveness part will be closely tied to the forthcoming European Competitiveness Fund & its four proposed policy areas (clean transition and decarbonization; digital transition; health, biotech, agriculture and bioeconomy; defence and space)
• Pillar III ‘Innovation’: bridging the gap between research and market-ready solutions.
• Pillar IV ‘European Research Area’: uniting Europe’s research ecosystems for a stronger, more collaborative future.

The Commission also envisages to streamline the programme implementation, including reducing the number of topics and shortening the time from call closure to grant signature. 

With a proposed €175 billion budget and tightly connected to the upcoming European Competitiveness Fund, the next framework programme proposed by the Commission aims to boost Europe’s productivity and competitiveness, while also improving the well-being of EU citizens. The proposal and accompanying proposed budget are not final as they will have to go through a long period of interinstitutional negotiations between the European Parliament, the member states and the Commission, with an agreement envisioned by the end of 2027.

Find out more in the Commission’s press release. More background information on the publication of the Commission proposal is available in a recent article on Science Business. More information on the Commission proposal for the next overarching Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028 - 2034 here.