Horizon Europe is the 9th EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, to be implemented in 2021–2027, and with a budget allocation of € 100 billion, it‘s the key instrument to support research and innovation in Europe, and also holds the leading positon in a worldwide comparison. The European Framework Programmes have traditionally been the most important tool, by which the EU implements its research and innovation agenda. The realisation of the Horizon Europe Framework Programme will be based on the EU’s policy orientations for 2019–2024, in particular on A European Green Deal, A Europe Fit for the Digital Age, and An Economy that Works for People EU priorities. The European Commission will prepare the two-year work programmes of the EU Framework Programme also taking into account the Recovery Plan for Europe, as well as the Commission’s Communication on the new European Research Area (ERA).
EU Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation – budgetary allocation evolvement in time
Research infrastructures in the Horizon Europe Framework Programme
The general architecture of the Horizon Europe Framework Programme remains the same as in the case of the Horizon 2020 EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014–2020). It has been divided into three pillars. The priority for research infrastructures has been embedded in the 1st pillar, which focuses on the support of excellent science. The budget allocation to meet the European priorities in the area of research infrastructures shall reach the amount of € 2.4 billion. The European Commission finds the research infrastructures vital to address the grand societal challenges, which the European population is facing, and, therefore, the Commission recommends research infrastructures to engage with the projects under the “clusters” of the 2nd pillar of the EU Framework Programme.
The Horizon Europe Framework Programme – € 100 billion for research and innovation in the EU
Work programme for research infrastructures 2021–2022
The 1st work programme of the Horizon Europe Framework Programme for the priority of research infrastructures for the years 2021–2022 is structured into five thematic areas, as follows:
- A well-functioning European research infrastructure landscape;
- Enabling an operational, open and FAIR EOSC ecosystem;
- Research infrastructure services to support health research, accelerate the green and digital transformation, and advance frontier knowledge;
- Next generation of scientific instruments, tools and methods and advanced digital solutions;
- Network connectivity – enabler for collaboration without boundaries.
Individual calls to submit project proposals under the EU Framework Programmes are launched on the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal of the European Commission.
Architecture of the Horizon Europe Framework Programme
National contact point of the Czech Republic for the Horizon Europe Framework Programme
One of the measures, by which the Czech Republic supports the involvement of Czech researchers and innovators in the Horizon Europe Framework Programme, is the provision of “National Contact Points” (NCP), whose activities are financially supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and provided by the Technology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences. All the information needed to participate in the EU Framework Programme calls is available on the Czech national Horizon Europe website, including the work programmes, corresponding calls to submit project proposals, terms and conditions for participation, and the contact details of individual NCPs assigned for specific priorities of the EU Framework Programme. The Technology Centre Prague provides in its capacity of the Czech national NCP a comprehensive information, advisory and consulting service. To facilitate the basic orientation in the Horizon Europe Framework Programme, a brief presentation in Czech was released.
Contact person: Sylvie Burianová, PhD (National contact point for Horizon Europe Research Infrastructures), tel. +420 720 800 307, burianova@tc.cz
The Horizon Europe Framework Programme – investment in the future