Research and Innovation: The 27 EU Countries' Priorities for the Successor to Horizon Europe
The tenth Framework Programme for Research and Innovation will need to build on the legacy of Horizon 2020, as well as Horizon Europe, by expanding participation in calls, improving monitoring and evaluation of results, and promoting greater dissemination of research funded by European funds.
The ministers of the 27 discussed this during the Competitiveness Council on May 23, along with issues of security in research projects with non-EU partners and the enhancement of knowledge useful to industry and society.
Starting from the ex post evaluation of Horizon 2020 presented by the Commission, the Union's ministers discussed the results of the eighth research and innovation programme, which in the past seven years funded almost 35,000 projects involving 40,000 organizations, identifying several areas for improvement in preparation for the tenth Framework Programme 2028-2034.
On the same day, the ministers also adopted a recommendation on strengthening the security of research projects carried out in partnership with third countries and conclusions on the contribution of the valorization of knowledge resulting from R&I activities to the competitiveness of the European industry and the strategic autonomy of the Union.
From the lessons of Horizon 2020 to the tenth Framework Programme for Research
For the 27, the eighth framework programme for research and innovation Horizon 2020, active from 2014 to 2020 with a total budget of 75.6 billion euros, was a successful programme in many different sectors, with a particularly high scientific, social, and economic impact, also thanks to synergies with other European programmes and national and regional funds.
At the same time, the ministers identify several areas for improvement, including expanding participation, currently marked by disparities in terms of participation and success among various countries, further reducing administrative burdens on participants, and better dissemination of research results. These are useful indications in preparation for the future framework programme (10th FP), which – according to the ministers - must also rely on a better monitoring system, including the evaluation of its long-term effects.
Consult the Council's conclusions on the evaluation of Horizon 2020
Attention to security risks in international research projects
The 27 then adopted a recommendation with the aim of inviting the Commission and the Member States to address the security risks to research arising from international cooperation, from unwanted knowledge transfer to foreign interference, to violations of ethics or integrity.
"While being open to knowledge exchange and international cooperation in the field of research, we must not be naive. The scientific community urgently needs guidance," explained the Vice-President of Wallonia and Minister of Economy Willy Borsus on behalf of the Belgian presidency of the Council. The recommendation, which contains no binding provisions, therefore proposes a series of guidelines regarding measures that could be adopted by the Commission, the Member States, and the research community to increase security in projects with third countries, such as the principle "as open as possible, as closed as necessary", the proportionality of safeguard measures, non-discrimination, and respect for fundamental rights.
Consult the Council's recommendation on strengthening research security
Creating economic and social value from research results
Also on the Council's agenda was the need to further valorize knowledge, as a tool for a resilient and competitive industry and for strategic autonomy in an open economy in Europe. The topic of creating social and economic value from the knowledge obtained from research and innovation, and thus the transformation of data, know-how, and results of R&I activities into products, services, and solutions for the benefit of society, was already at the heart of the recommendation adopted by the Council in December 2022 and, in December 2023, of the orientative debate on the topic "Valorization of research as a tool for economic and industrial recovery and resilience".
The conclusions approved on May 23 revisit the topic to emphasize the importance of developing tools, policies, and funding frameworks to support these processes, through the enhancement of the network of intermediaries and facilitators in the innovation landscape, promoting collaboration between research and industry, and improving training programs for entrepreneurship and innovation in all disciplines.
Consult the Council's conclusions on the valorization of knowledge
