Horizon Europe
Horizon Europe is the 9th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation of the European Commission and successor of Horizon 2020 that will run from 2021 till 2027.
Strategic Plan
Structure of Horizon Europe
Missions
European Partnerships
Some related links
Strategic Plan
In July 2018 a proposal for Horizon Europe was launched by the European Commission. After a provisional agreement on Horizon Europe was reached between the European Commission, Council and Parliament, the European Commission began a so called strategic planning process in spring 2019.
First strategic plan 2021-2024
The first strategic plan of Horizon Europe puts forward the targeted impacts for the European Union research and innovation activities and the priorities for the first four years of the implementation of Horizon Europe.
The strategic planning process focused in particular on the Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness pillar of Horizon Europe. It also covered the Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area part of the programme as well as relevant activities in other pillars. Missions and European Partnerships were also identified through the strategic planning process. The results of the strategic planning process created a basis for the content of the first two-yearly work programmes in Horizon Europe.
A co-design process took place over the summer and autumn of 2019. The European Commission invited everyone from everywhere to participate in an open consultation on Horizon Europe's first Strategic Plan.
The Horizon Europe Strategic plan 2021-2024 was published in February 2021.
Second strategic plan 2025-2027
The start of the second Horizon Europe strategic planning process was officially launched during the European Research & Innovation Days in September 2022.
Like its predecessor, the Strategic Plan 2025-2027 will be co-designed with input from citizens and stakeholders. The Strategic Plan 2025-2027 is also covered in the largest ever public online consultation of Horizon Europe, which will remain open for 12 weeks until 23 February 2023.
The next Strategic Plan 2025-2027 is expected to be adopted in 2024.
Structure of Horizon Europe
Horizon Europe has three pillars and one additional component to support activities in Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area (ERA).
- The Excellence Science pillar promotes scientific excellence and has a bottom up approach. This pillar includes bottom up programmes ERC, MSCA and Research Infrastructures.
- The pillar of Global Challenges and European Industrial Competiveness including the Joint Research Center will feed into the strategic priorities of Europe and is divided into six thematic clusters.
- The Innovative Europe pillar targets market-creating innovation and SME growth. The core feature of this pillar is the European Innovation Council (EIC) that will enhance Europe’s capabilities at the forefront of the next wave of disruptive, market-creating innovation.
- A fourth component on Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area completes the Horizon Europe structure. This component focuses on activities that will increase the participation of low R&I performing member states and strengthen the European Research Area.
Missions
Missions are one of the main novelties introduced by the European Commission in Horizon Europe. Missions aim to deliver solutions for the great challenges faced by the world.
Five missions areas have been identified:
- cancer
- adaptation to climate change
- healthy oceans, seas coastal and inland waters
- climate-neutral and smart cities
- soil health and food
For each mission area a mission board has been established. The mission board advises the European Commission on how to specify, design and implement missions for Horizon Europe. Each mission board was assisted by an assembly. More information on the mission boards, assemblies and its members can be found here.
The missions were formally launched in September 2021 as part of Horizon Europe. The approval by the European Commission of the implementation plans for each mission marked the end of the 12-months preparatory phase and start of the implementation phase. The calls under the Horizon Europe missions can be found in the Horizon Europe missions two-yearly work programme (2023-2024).
European Partnerships
Some parts of Horizon Europe can be implemented through the European Partnerships. These are initiatives in which the EU and public or private partners, such as Member States and/or Associated Countries, industry, universities, research organisations, etc., join forces to support the development and implementation of a programme for research and innovation activities.
The Horizon Europe regulation lays down the conditions and principles for establishing European Partnerships. There are 3 types of European Partnerships: Co-funded European Partnerships, Co-Programmed European Partnerships and Institutionalised Partnerships.
Just as the missions, identifying the European Partnerships was also an integral part of Horizon Europe’s strategic planning process in order to ensure alignment with the programme’s priorities.
49 future partnership candidates have been identified. Several partnerships have started, others are currently under development. More information on the partnerships is availabe here and in this factsheet.
An overview of the partnerships that are supported by FWO can be found via this link
An overview of the partnerships that are supported by VLAIO can be found via this link
Some related links
More background on Horizon Europe
More background on Horizon Europe European partnerships (summary available in fact sheet)
More background on Horizon Europe Missions (summary available in fact sheet)
More background on Horizon Europe Strategic plan 2021-2024 & 2025-2027 (summary available in fact sheet)
For all documents related to Horizon Europe implementation please consult the Horizon Europe 2021-2027 reference documents page on the Funding and Tender Portal. This section lists the Horizon Europe legislation (Horizon Europe programme regulation and decision), two yearly work programmes for each Horizon Europe programme, model grants agreements, guidance documents and application, evaluation and reporting templates.
Latest news
Enhancing EU R&I Horizon Europe
New European Research Area Communication adopted by the European Commission
The Communication ‘Implementation of the European Research Area (ERA): Strengthening Europe’s Research and Innovation: The ERA’s Journey and Future Directions’ has been adopted on 22 October by the Commission. The Communication takes stock and assesses the progress made since the previous Communication ‘A new ERA for... read more
Horizon Europe HorizonEU L+F Horizon 2020
Annual report on implementation of the EU budget for the financial year 20...
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) audits the revenue and expenditure of the EU budget and delivers its opinion on the extent to which the annual accounts are reliable, and income and spending comply with the rules and regulations. This year it includes findings from Horizon 2020 audits but also from some Horizon Europe audits. In chapter 5 (Sin... read more
Upcoming events
Enhancing EU R&I Horizon Europe
Stakeholder event 'Driving EU Prosperity: The Future of Knowledge Valorisat...
Work Programme & Calls
Infosheets
Infosheets contain edited content on aspects related to this programme. They are reviewed at least yearly.
- Citizen Science in Horizon Europe
- Communication, Dissemination & Exploitation
- Data Management Plan
- Ethics appraisal process and the role of Ethics Advisors, Boards and Mentors
- European Partnerships
- Expert Evaluators - Background & How to become an evaluator
- Gender equality in Horizon Europe
- Horizon Dashboards
- Horizon Europe Two-stage Calls
- Horizon Results Platform
- International Cooperation in Horizon Europe
- Lump sum actions
- Open science under Horizon Europe
- Ownership Control Declaration
- Participation of Third Countries in Horizon Europe: implementation details
- Pilot on Blind evaluation
- Pre-commercial procurement and public procurement of innovation
- Right-to-react (rebuttal) procedure pilot under Horizon Europe
- The coordinator's role in Horizon Europe or Digital Europe projects
Related links
Related links are easy pointers towards external information. We curate the list, but are not liable for the destinations.
- Lis of all events of European Commission
- EC DG Research & Innovation Open Science
- Citizen science factsheet
- Swiss participation in Horizon Europe - SERI overview
- Briefing HEU evaluators - vs. 2- 25.06.2021
- Horizon Europe Programme Guide
- Webinar on security appraisal (scrutiny) in HEU
- Recording of presentation NCP Flanders - Horizon Europe in a nutshell-25.03.2021
- DG Research and Innovation - Organisation chart (June 2021)
- Horizon Europe reference documents
- Publication work programmes postponed end of May - Science Business
- Horizon Results Platform
- Horizon Europe online manual
- Horizon Europe Strategic Plan factsheet
- Horizon Europe Strategic plan 2021-2024
- Proposal template RIA-IA Horizon Europe
- Q&A on the UK’s participation in Horizon Europe
- Association agreements for Horizon Europe state of play – Science Business
- Draft Workprogrammes - Horizon Europe - Science Business
- UK participation in Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020 - UKRO infosheet
- Britain will take part in Horizon Europe – but how will it work?
Documents
Documents contain additional information related to this programme, and are similar to related links.
- BRIDGE2HE Annotated RIA/IA template
- Gender Dimension in Horizon Europe proposals
- Horizon Europe in a nutshell-ppt NCP Flanders - 25.03.2021
- Prizes in Horizon 2020 & Horizon Europe – An overview - dd. 06.05.2021
- Novelties in the Implementation of Horizon Europe
- Presentations of Belgian Launch Event Horizon Europe
Testimonial
Miricle - Mine Risk Clearance for Europe
The Miricle project, ‘Mine Risk Clearance for Europe’, obtained funding under the European Defence Industrial Development programme call ‘Underwater control contributing to resilience at sea’. The main objective of the project was to achieve a European and sovereign capacity in future mine warfare and create a path for the next generation ‘made in Europe’ countermeasure solutions. In order to realise this objective, Miricle addressed various stages: studies, design, prototyping and testing. These stages inter alia included the successful testing of an XL Unmanned Underwater Vehicle, a protototyped mine disposal system and multiple innovative systems to detect buried mines. Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), was one of the five Belgian partners in the consortium. Within the project, VLIZ was able to forward its research on the acoustic imaging of the seabed to spatially map and visualize buried structures and objects - in this case buried mines - in the highest possible detail. VLIZ also led the work on ‘Port and Offshore Testing’, building on the expertise of the institute in the field of marine operations and technology.
