The Council of the European Union highlighted the significance of Horizon 2020 in bolstering the EU's competitiveness in its Draft Conclusions regarding the ex-post evaluation of the research and innovation funding program.
Recognizing Horizon Europe as pivotal to enhancing Europe's competitiveness, the Council underscores its role as the primary EU instrument for supporting research endeavours and facilitating collaborative research efforts beyond other available means or funding channels.
In pursuit of this objective, the Council emphasises the importance of securing an adequate and consistent budget for Horizon 2020, along with fostering a robust European Research and Innovation (R&I) ecosystem. Additionally, it advocates for enhanced stakeholder engagement, promotion of private investments, support for breakthrough technologies, and greater involvement of SMEs. Furthermore, the Conclusions underscore the necessity of aligning Horizon 2020 with the European Research Area (ERA), improving access to research infrastructure, and promoting effective data management.
In-depth discussions reveal that Member States recognise the shortfall of an additional EUR 159 billion required to fund all high-quality proposals submitted to Horizon 2020, highlighting the ongoing challenge in achieving the EU-level target of investing 3% of GDP annually in R&D. The conclusions stress the importance of supporting diverse forms of innovation, especially those with transformative potential, and facilitating SME participation in research and innovation endeavours. Additionally, there's an emphasis on promoting private investments to stimulate employment, economic growth, and productivity.
Moreover, the Council advocates for a balanced approach in funding opportunities to bridge fundamental research with the economic or societal valorisation of research outcomes. It's noted that Horizon 2020 fell short of its budgetary target for climate-specific topics.
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