The European Commission today (27 October) announced how it will spend €30bn of the EU research and innovation funding programme Horizon 2020 during 2018-2020 – earmarking €1bn to circular economy innovations.
Horizon 2020, the EU’s €77bn research and innovation funding programme, aims to support scientific excellence in Europe.
Over the next 3 years, the Commission will seek greater impact of its research funding by focusing on fewer, but “critical topics”, such as migration, security, climate, clean energy and digital economy – among these “political priorities” is a funding of €1bn for the circular economy.
“The Commission is making a concerted effort – including with the European Innovation Council which takes its first steps today – to give Europe’s many innovators a springboard to become world leading companies.”
Horizon 2020 will also be more geared towards “boosting breakthrough, market-creating innovation”, the Commission says.
The 2018-2020 Work Programme will directly support the Commission’s “political priorities”:
- A low-carbon, climate resilient future: €3.3bn
- Circular Economy: €1bn
- Digitising and transforming European industry and services: €1.7bn
- Security Union: €1bn
- Migration: €200m
€2.2bn will be earmarked for clean energy projects in four interrelated areas: renewables, energy efficient buildings, electro-mobility and storage solutions, including €200m to support the development and production in Europe of the next generation of electric batteries.
Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for research, science and innovation, said: “Artificial Intelligence, genetics, blockchain: science is at the core of today’s most promising breakthrough innovations. Europe is a world leader in science and technology and will play a major role in driving innovation.
“The Commission is making a concerted effort – including with the European Innovation Council which takes its first steps today – to give Europe’s many innovators a springboard to become world leading companies.”
Horizon 2020 is the EU’s biggest ever research and innovation framework programme with a budget of €77bn over seven years (2014-2020).
As of October 2017, Horizon 2020 has in total funded more than 15,000 grants to the tune of €26.65bn, of which almost €3.79bn went to SMEs.