The
European Commission welcomed the European Parliament's adoption of Horizon
2020, the next EU research and innovation programme. With a budget of nearly
EUR 80 billion1 euro over seven years, Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU research
programme yet, and one of the biggest publicly funded worldwide. It is also one
of only very few programmes in the next EU budget to see a strong increase in
funding – a nearly 30 per cent jump in real terms over the current Seventh
Framework Programme. EU Member States must now give their final seal of
approval ahead of the first calls for proposals under Horizon 2020, currently
set for 11th December.
Horizon 2020, the EU's next programme for research and innovation, will run
from 2014 to 2020 with a budget of nearly EUR 80 billion (current prices –
adjusted for inflation). It replaces the Seventh Framework Programme for
Research (FP7), which ran from 2007 to 2013 with a budget of around EUR 55
billion (see MEMO/13/1034).
The Horizon 2020 programme was first proposed by the
European Commission in November 2011, for decision by EU Member States and the
European Parliament. Negotiators for Member States, Parliament and the
Commission reached provisional agreement on the final texts of the package in
June 2013. Following approval today by plenary vote in the European Parliament,
EU Member States must sign off on the programme at Ministerial level.
