The overall FP9 structure is largely based
on the existing structure of Horizon 2020 and on the recommendations of the
“Lamy report” published on July 2017 by the independent High-Level Group
on maximising the impact of EU Research and Innovation programmes chaired by
Pascal Lamy, President Emeritus of the Jacques Delors Institute.
In this context, a key element of the
discussions that will be held in the coming months is the overall budget
allocated to Horizon Europe. The Commission, which was proud to announced that
this would be the biggest ever research and innovation funding programme,
proposed to allocate a budget of €97.9 billion, including €3.5 billion
allocated under the InvestEU Fund (a Programme which brings together under one
roof the EU financial instruments currently available).
A
three-pillar structure
The
proposed structure is based on three pillars: Open Science, Global Challenges,
Open Innovation.
- Open Science Pillar (€25.8 billion) – The first
pillar on Open Science will ensure continuity with Horizon 2020 with a
bottom-up approach in order to reinforce the Union’s scientific leadership,
high-quality knowledge and skills development, through the European Research
Council, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and research infrastructures.
- Global Challenges Pillar (€52.7 billion) – The second
pillar on Global Challenges and Industrial Competitiveness will take forward
the societal challenges and industrial technologies in a more ‘top down’ directed
approach addressing Union and global policy and competitiveness challenges and
opportunities. This pillar will be built
on five clusters: (1) ‘health’; (2) ‘inclusive and secure society’; (3)
‘digital and industry’; (4) ‘climate, energy and mobility’; and (5) ‘food and
natural resources’.
- Open Innovation Pillar – The third pillar on Open
Innovation will focus on scaling up innovation by establishing a European
Innovation Council and support the European Institute of Innovation and
Technology (EIT).
Rules
for participation and dissemination
The Commission proposal aims at simplifying
the rules for beneficiaries of European funds. To this end, the following
measures are introduced by the proposal:
- Principle
of a single set of rules – The rules applicable to all Union
funding programmes will be aligned.
- Funding –
Horizon 2020 funding rates will be maintained. The funding rate will be a
maximum that can be reduced when justified for implementing specific actions.
- Cost
reimbursement – The cost reimbursement scheme will be further simplified, in
particular in relation to the actual costs scheme for personnel costs: the
distinction between basic and additional remuneration will be removed and the
Horizon 2020 cap on the additional remuneration abolished.
- Cost
accounting practice – The unit cost for internally invoiced
goods and services will make it possible to cover actual indirect costs
calculated in accordance with the usual cost accounting practices.
- Audits
and assessments – A wider cross-reliance on audits and assessments (including with
other Union programmes) is envisaged. This should reduce the administrative
burden on beneficiaries of Union funds by further aligning the rules.
- Participant
Guarantee Fund – The Participant Guarantee Fund (renamed Mutual Insurance Mechanism)
will be extended to all forms of institutionalised partnerships.
- Dissemination
and exploitation – Most provisions of the Horizon 2020 rules for participation and
dissemination are maintained, with further improvements where appropriate. This
includes reinforcing the focus on exploitation, in particular within the Union
and the role of the plan for the dissemination and exploitation during and
after the end of the project. Moreover, the Commission will provide dedicated
support to dissemination, exploitation and knowledge diffusion and put more
emphasis on promoting the exploitation of R&I results.
- Communication
by the beneficiaries of Union funds – In line with the
recommendations of the Lamy report, the Rules underline the role of
beneficiaries in providing coherent, effective and proportionate targeted
information to multiple audiences, including the media and the public. Building
on experience in Horizon 2020, guidance to beneficiaries will show how they can
become principal communicators of all aspects of their project activities.
- Open
Science – A few actions are envisaged to ensure better exploitation of R&I
results within the Union through Open Science:
- o
Working with R&I stakeholders to
make the European Open Science Cloud a reality;
- o
Strengthening the European data space
and creating the necessary incentives for programme beneficiaries and
innovators to share their results and data for reuse;
- o
Putting in place incentives for the
exploitation of Programme results by helping beneficiaries to find the most
appropriate instruments and channels for market uptake of their innovation;
- o
Putting in place a strategy for
increasing the availability of R&I results and accelerating their uptake,
including for policy, thereby boosting the overall impact of the programme and
the European innovation potential;
- o
Providing support throughout the
dissemination and exploitation lifecycle to ensure a constant stream of
innovation coming from the programme.
Next
steps
The proposal and the accompanying impact
assessment are open for feedback until 16 August 2018, on the European
Commission’s website here.
The Council and the Parliament will now
start discussing and amending the proposal in view of adopting the final legal
framework establishing Horizon Europe that will apply from 1 January 2021.
The Parliament’s Committee on Industry,
Research and Energy is responsible for the file. Dan Nica (S&D, Romania)
has been appointed rapporteur. Together with the shadow rapporteurs – Christian
Ehler (EPP, Germany), Evzen Tosenovsky (ECR, Czech Republic), Lieve Wierinck
(ALDE, Belgium), Neoklis Sylikiotis (GUE/NGL, Cyprus), Jakop Dalunde
(Greens/EFA, Sweden) and Barbara Kappel (ENF, Austria) – and the committees for
opinion, Mr. Nica will develop the Parliament’s position on the Commission
proposal.
