The European Commission published the report of the interim evaluation of the Horizon Europe framework programme today.
This report is the result of almost ten months of work by an independent and carefully selected expert group chaired by Professor Manuel Heitor, former Secretary of State for science, technology and higher education of Portugal. Their mandate was to evaluate the current framework programme and provide the Commission with concrete recommendations on how the remainder of Horizon Europe and its successor, FP10, should remain attractive for researchers and stay flexible in light of changing needs.
The expert group consulted with stakeholders across all sectors and disciplines over several months, culminating in the now-published report “Align, Act, Accelerate: Research, Technology and Innovation to boost European Competitiveness.”
The experts are calling for an increased, more focused and protected budget to position Europe as a leader in international R&I development. They are also recommending the following twelve strategic suggestions to maximise the impact of EU Research and Innovation programmes in the future:
- Adopt a whole-of-government approach to align research and innovation with the EU strategy for competitiveness and a clean, digital economy.
- Boost Europe’s global competitiveness by fostering impactful research, innovation and scale-ups through a stronger framework programme.
- Deliver European added value via a portfolio of actions focused on competitive excellence, industrial competitiveness, societal challenges and a strong research and innovation ecosystem.
- Establish an experimental unit to launch disruptive innovation programmes with fast funding options, such as “ARPA-style” initiatives.
- Strengthen competitive excellence by expanding funding for the European Research Council, the European Innovation Council and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions to attract top talent.
- Create an Industrial Competitiveness and Technology Council to enhance industrial research and innovation investment and ensure relevance to strategic autonomy.
- Form a Societal Challenges Council to address key societal issues, align with EU strategic priorities and engage with philanthropy and civil society.
- Build an inclusive and attractive EU R&I ecosystem by securing long-term investments, fostering university alliances and encouraging Member States’ co-investment.
- Simplify the programme by reducing administrative burdens, embracing agile funding and streamlining application processes.
- Develop an innovation procurement programme to stimulate industrial scaling through demand-driven solutions.
- Approach international cooperation with a nuanced strategy, tailoring partnerships to specific domains and global geopolitical considerations.
- Optimise dual-use technology innovation by managing civilian and military R&I programmes separately, leveraging benefits for national security and civilian needs.