EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation

Horizon Europe is the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation for 2021–2027. The Horizon Europe Programme, like its predecessor Horizon 2020, is the key instrument for implementing EU R&D policies, with the overall objective of making a scientific, technological, economic and societal impact through EU investments in this field, thereby strengthening its scientific and technological bases and fostering the competitiveness of all Member States.

With a budget of €95,517,000,000 (in current prices) for the seven-year period, Horizon Europe has the largest budget to date of any Framework Programme and has the potential to generate significant economic, social and scientific benefits. The Programme is designed to make investments, rather than merely serve as a financing instrument, and its plan is to help the EU transition to a prosperous and sustainable future.

The Programme has a three-pillar structure:

Pillar 1: Excellent Science. This funds cutting-edge research projects designed and led by researchers, through the European Research Council (ERC). It also supports the professional development and training of research staff through the international and intersectoral transportation activities within the Marie Sklodowska-Curie programme (MSCA) and fosters the development of world-class research infrastructures.

Pillar 2: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness. This funds research and the generation of new knowledge and technology on social challenges, reinforcing industrial technological capacities with the aim of increasing the competitiveness of European industry (especially SMEs) and setting missions with ambitious objectives focused on major global challenges (health, climate change, renewable energies, transportation, security, digitalisation, materials, etc.). It also supports the creation of European Partnerships with Member States and the industry to work together on research and innovation, and includes the activities of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) which assists EU and national governments in their decision-making by providing scientific evidence and technical support.

Pillar 3: Innovative Europe. This aims to make Europe a pioneering powerhouse in market-creating innovation and growing innovative SMEs through the European Innovation Council (EIC). It supports leading innovators, entrepreneurs, SMEs and scientists with ambitions to grow internationally. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) will also continue to foster the integration of research, higher education and entrepreneurship through Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).

These three pillars are underpinned by a horizontal axis, Broadening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area (ERA), which is dedicated to assisting EU Member States in their efforts to develop their national research and innovation potential, and especially those states with lower R&I performance, to improve their participation in Horizon Europe.

Co-management of the CDTI in the Framework Programme

Since the second Framework Programme, the CDTI has boosted Spanish participation in successive EU Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation by all types of entities, both public and private (universities, public research centres, technology centres, public administrations, associations, foundations, companies, etc.), effectively contributing to the achievement of the objectives set at all times, which are monitored due to the Database of Spanish Participation in the FP, which it also manages and which is the official source of information on this Programme in Spain.

The CDTI is the Spanish representative in the Programme Committees of the current Framework Programme, Horizon Europe, and acts as National Contact Point (NCP) in Pillar 3, Innovative Europe, as well as in the Clusters that make up Pillar 2, Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, except in the case of the Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society Cluster, where it participates as an expert, as is the case for the Research Infrastructures within Pillar 1, Excellent Science. It also acts as a NCP coordinator and has a NCP for Legal and Financial Aspects.

Moreover, the CDTI participates in the strategic groups associated with the Framework Programme, such as those for the different European Missions and Partnerships in Horizon Europe.

Within the CDTI, the Directorate of EU Programmes and Territorial Cooperation is responsible for managing the Framework Programme, defending Spanish interests in the Programme Committees in which it participates and offering advice to those interested in participating in the areas in which it acts as the NCP.

As part of these advisory services, the CDTI has a mock interview service dedicated exclusively to Spanish companies participating in the EIC Accelerator.

More detailed information on this Programme can be found on the Spanish Horizon Europe portal, which is jointly managed by the CDTI and the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) and serves as the official channel of communication and information for participants and potential stakeholders in the Programme in Spain.