The European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy (ITRE) has released a Draft Report on the assessment of the implementation of Horizon Europe.
The report offers a number of general observations on the successes and challenges that have emerged in the shift from Horizon 2020 (H2020) to Horizon Europe (HE), along with specific observations on the constituent Pillars and EU Missions, plus recommendations for the remainder of Horizon Europe and for the 10th Research Framework Programme (FP10).
The report notes that HE has been implemented in the context of successive geopolitical crises, from COVID-19 to the war in Ukraine. While Horizon Europe proved responsive to these crises, it was compromised by a lack of additional funding and an over-emphasis on “short-term fixes”. To increase Europe’s competitiveness in global research & innovation, FP10 needs to be scientist-led and more focused on the primary objective of funding boundary-pushing science, research and innovation projects.
The key observations on HE include:
- HE has had a higher success rate than H2020, but low success rates in some parts is discouraging applications.
- The shift from H2020 to HE has been perceived as bringing increased bureaucracy and complexity.
- The Heitor report concludes that bureaucracy may be reduced by more self-governance, e.g. through the establishment of councils and less prescriptive calls.
- Lump sum funding has not simplified administration for beneficiaries.
- Implementation has been too complex, particularly in Pillar 2, which should be streamlined.
- EU Missions have failed on core objectives.
The report recommends that for the remainder of Horizon Europe, there should be no further funding of missions under the 2025, 2026, and 2027 Work Programmes; additional funding for these instruments should be found elsewhere in EU and national budgets. It recommends that lump sum funding should be reduced until there is proven simplification for beneficiaries, and that the Heitor report’s call for a ‘Choose Europe’ co-funding line should be implemented urgently from 2025.
Looking ahead to FP10, the report calls for a substantially higher budget that is sufficient for achieving the 3% GDP spending target, and for funding at least 75% of the excellent proposals submitted. It further recommends that FP10 has a reformed governance structure based on the Heitor and Draghi reports, based on the principle of self-governance by top experts. Four councils of eminent experts should be set up to decide the strategic direction of FP10.
FP10 should be structured in three parts, focused on the following objectives:
- Advancing the European Research Area (ERA). The objective should be to build an excellent, unified ERA, involving a newly established European fellowship programme for researchers-at-risk.
- Creating a European competition of ideas. An expanded European Research Council (ERC) and European Innovation Council (EIC) should be at the heart of this part, which should receive half of the FP10 budget.
- Supporting strategic, large-scale collaborative research initiatives. This should focus on a limited number of pan-European research initiatives addressing socio-economic, ecological, and/or strategic technology development, with 2040 as the time horizon. These initiatives should receive a budget of between EUR 2.5-5 billion.
The draft resolution can be consulted in full on the European Parliament website.