The European Commission has published an amended version of the main 2023-24 Horizon Europe Work Programme, which includes new funding opportunities under some parts of the programme.
The amendment mobilises previously unallocated Horizon Europe funding to increase the 2024 budget by nearly €1.4 billion to a total of €7.3 billion. This amendment includes an investment of nearly €650 million in the EU Missions aiming to contribute to solving some of the challenges facing Europe, for example, making more than 100 cities climate neutral, continuity for 2025 for Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (MSCA), Teaming for Excellence and ERA Fellowships, as well as experimental actions opening EU research and innovation opportunities to more newcomers.
In addition, the Work Programme features a new NEB Facility will ensure that Europe continues to make most of this potential.The New European Bauhaus (NEB) aims to bring the benefits of the European Green Deal into people’s daily lives and living spaces.
The amendment also sets out €48 million to the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage. This will support cultural heritage institutions and researchers as well as the cultural and creative industries to reap the benefits of the digital transition.
The amendment also includes an investment of €50 million for a European Partnership for pandemic preparedness to help equip Europe for potential future pandemics,
This update is considered a technical one and reflects increased contributions from the UK as a ‘newly associated’ country. As previously mentioned by UKRO, this update will be followed towards the end of the year by a further update for 2025, covering that year alone.
While some updated parts of the main Work Programme include only cosmetic changes, such as refined budgets, deadlines, etc. (e.g. Cluster 4) others saw either the inclusion of new topics (e.g. Clusters 3 and 5) or noteworthy changes to the existing ones.
What are the main changes in the Work Programme?
The list of all main changes is summarised briefly below. There will be a follow up UKRO article giving more details on the changes, but in brief, please see the link to the Work Programmes for the funding schemes below:
Pillar I – Excellent Science
- Research Infrastructures
Pillar II – Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
- Cluster 1: Health
- Cluster 3: Civil Security for Society
- Cluster 4: Digital, Industry and Space
- Cluster 5: Climate, Energy and Mobility
- Cluster 6: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
- Missions
Pillar III – Innovative Europe
- European Innovation Ecosystems
Transversal element
- Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area
Please note that the European Research Council (ERC) and the European Innovation Council (EIC) have separate annual Work Programmes, which do not form part of the main Horizon Europe Work Programme and are not covered by this technical update.