Margrethe Vestager – Photo © European Union 2024
(BRUSSELS) – The European Commission set out Wednesday its second strategic plan for the Horizon Europe innovation and research programme 2025-2027 to underpin the EU’s green and digital transition.
The new orientations aim to address key global challenges such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, the digital transition and an ageing population, said the EU Commission.
The strategic plan raises the ambition of Horizon Europe on biodiversity and commits to a target of 10% of the Horizon Europe’s total budget for 2025-2027 dedicated to biodiversity-related topics. This new commitment complements existing targets for climate expenditure (35% over the lifetime of Horizon Europe) and main digital activities (13 billion over the same period).
“By setting out key strategic orientations for EUs research and innovation funding, we can guide investments in cutting-edge research and breakthrough innovation,” said EC vice-president Margrethe Vestager: “Via the Horizon Europe Work Programmes we can address key challenges such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, the digital transition and an ageing population.”
The strategic plan identifies nine new European co-funded and co-programmed partnerships: Brain Health, Forests and Forestry for a Sustainable Future, Innovative Materials for EU, Raw Materials for the Green and Digital Transition, Resilient Cultural Heritage, Social Transformations and Resilience, Solar Photovoltaics, Textiles of the Future, and Virtual Worlds.
The plan addresses a number of specific issues, such as the balance of research and innovation and the integration of social sciences and humanities. On the former, the strategic plan commits to provide a balanced support to activities with a range of maturity and of technology readiness levels, ranging from knowledge-generating and early-stage research to innovation, to demonstration and first deployment activities, such as in model regions, living labs and lighthouses. It also commits to strengthen collaborative research projects with low technology readiness levels and maturity levels under Pillar II.
More information on the Horizon Europe strategic plan
Horizon Europe strategic plan 2025-2027
Horizon Europe strategic plan 2025-2027 analysis
Paper on the Added Value of European investments in research and innovation
Paper on Why Investing in R&I Matters – A rationale for public and private investments
