The final evaluation of Horizon 2020 has just been published by the European Commission. The document shows how the programme has made a major contribution to building an EU society and economy rooted in knowledge and innovation, benefitting Europeans far beyond what could have been achieved at a national or regional level.
The objectives of Horizon 2020 were to stimulate economic growth, create jobs, foster collaboration in research and innovation, support excellent science and industrial leadership, and tackle societal challenges in Europe.
The evaluation looked into the scientific, societal, and economic impacts of Horizon 2020, assessing the efficiency of the programme, its relevance to societal needs and the overall added value it brings to the EU.
Key findings
With over a million individual applications from 177 countries, 35,000 projects involving 40,000 organisations funded over seven years, and 33 Nobel Prize winners supported through the programme, Horizon 2020 made a significant difference for R&I in Europe and beyond.
The final evaluation shows that Horizon 2020 publications contributed to over 276,000 peer-reviewed publications which are cited twice as often as the global average, 4% of which are the most cited worldwide.
Horizon 2020 also fuelled a remarkable 20% additional growth in employment and a 30% increase in turnover and total assets for participating firms compared to the ones that were unsuccessful despite high-quality applications.
In the long term, the programme is estimated to contribute an average annual increase of €15.9 billion to EU GDP, totalling €429 billion over the period 2014-2040.
Key impact areas
Horizon 2020 has contributed to scientific breakthroughs in nascent domains of science and technology, particularly in medical sciences, quantum mechanics, chemical engineering, and composite materials, and more than a quarter of the publications are linked to new, rapidly evolving research areas.
Horizon 2020 played a crucial role in fighting climate change. It saw 64.4% of its budget invested in sustainable development, making Horizon 2020 (with its predecessor, FP7), the second largest climate science provider in the world.
The programme financed concrete solutions in various domains, such as novel hydrogen-fuelled transports, mRNA vaccines, photonics and micro- and nanoelectronics, and almost 4,000 patents and trademarks resulted from Horizon 2020 funding. The European Innovation Council particularly stood out for its unprecedented support to potentially ground-breaking technological innovations and deep tech companies.
Horizon 2020 responded promptly by launching specific calls for proposals during the Ebola and Zika epidemics, and even greater agility in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Horizon 2020 and FP7 are recognised as the third most frequently acknowledged funding sources for COVID-19-related research in the world.
Horizon 2020 bolstered research and innovation efforts aimed at tackling key societal challenges, including health, food security, energy, transport, environmental sustainability, climate action, digital transformation, inclusive societies and security.
The programme was also pivotal in diversifying and enhancing researchers’ skills and knowledge. It also improved their career prospects, particularly benefiting early-career researchers. Nearly 50,000 researchers were supported in cross-sector and cross-country mobility.
Lessons learned
The evaluation defined a number of areas for improvement. These include broadening participation; improving the integration of the humanities and social sciences; simplifying and reducing the administrative burden; reinforcing the dissemination, exploitation and deployment of results; further encouraging the participation of women; enhancing synergies with other initiatives at the EU, national and regional levels.
The full evaluation including the Commission Report and Executive Summary can be found on the dedicated website.