The European Commission proposed an ambitious plan for funding research & development in the EU. This plan, currently at the stage of proposal, forms part of the proposed 2021-2027 EU budget.
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The European Commission is currently working on the proposal for the future EU budget, for the period of 2021 to 2027. In this proposal, the Commission has included an ambitious plan to fund research & development across the Union, which could potentially put the EU on the forefront of modern developments and new technologies.
The current proposal, named “Horizon Europe”, means 100 billion euro would be invested in development & research between 2021 and 2027. This funding would be used to reach clearly defined targets and be more easily accessible by researchers. The proposal is designed around three pillars, being the Open Science pillar, the Global challenges pillar and the Open Innovation pillar. Each of these three pillars target a specific objective, with the first one supporting researchers, the second pillar targeting issues that affect us daily and the third pillar putting Europe in the front of market-creating innovation.
To justify this proposal, the Commission shows a few examples of what EU funding in R&D has achieved so far. These achievements include more effective cancer treatments for breast-cancer patients, successfully demonstrating the entire production chain for renewable kerosene using solar energy, a robot currently being tested in a hospital in Lisbon (Portugal), nicknamed “Little Casper” and boosting the morale of young cancer patients, a super battery, also known as “ultracapacitor”, based on graphene and made by Estonian company “Skeleton”, being 100 times more powerful than an ordinary battery, as well as advances in many other fields, such as green technology or universe exploration, with the discovery of gravitational waves.
Some new things that would be introduced if the proposal goes through would be an European Innovation Council (EIC), which would identify and fund high-risk innovations with strong potential to create new markets. Organizations such as ITER would also get funding, to continue leading in its sector.
If the proposal goes through, Horizon Europe will be launched the 1st January 2021.
Here are some extra sources, giving more details about the proposal:
Facts & more information:
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/news/eu-budget-2018-jun-07-0_en
https://ec.europa.eu/info/designing-next-research-and-innovation-framework-programme/what-shapes-next-framework-programme_en#whatshapesthecommissionsproposal
European Commission press release:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-4041_en.htm
Budget proposals infograms:
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/budget-proposals-research-innovation-may2018_en.pdf
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/budget-may2018-research-innovation_en.pdf
