On 20 March 2024, the Commission adopted the second strategic plan for Horizon Europe. The plan, announced at the flagship Research and Innovation Days, sets out three key strategic orientations for EU's research and innovation funding for the last three years of the programme.
The strategic plan identifies 3 key goals for research and innovation investment under Horizon Europe for the years 2025-2027:
These orientations aim to address key global challenges such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, the digital transition and an ageing population.
Open strategic autonomy and securing Europe’s leading role in developing and deploying critical technologies are overarching principles that apply across all three key strategic orientations.
The strategic plan raises the ambition of Horizon Europe on biodiversity and commits to a target of 10% of the Horizon Europe’s total budget for 2025-2027 dedicated to biodiversity-related topics. This new commitment complements existing targets for climate expenditure (35% over the lifetime of Horizon Europe) and main digital activities (€13 billion over the same period).
The strategic plan identifies nine new European co-funded and co-programmed partnerships: Brain Health, Forests and Forestry for a Sustainable Future, Innovative Materials for EU, Raw Materials for the Green and Digital Transition, Resilient Cultural Heritage, Social Transformations and Resilience, Solar Photovoltaics, Textiles of the Future, and Virtual Worlds.
Full information can be found here.
