Opinion: Taking the Pulse of Horizon Europe | The Scientist Magazine®

In order to understand the changes represented by Horizon Europe and how these are going to affect the global research and development landscape, one needs to first reflect on what Horizon 2020 accomplished. Horizon 2020 was a program that sought to establish the principles of open innovation and open science in the EU. The three core goals of Horizon 2020 were making EU a world-class science performer, removing obstacles to innovation (such as market fragmentation and patenting), and strengthening the link between the public European institutions and the private sector. According to Javier Ferrís-Oñate, who leads the R&D and Innovation Programmes Responsible at the Instituto de Biomecánica in Valencia, Spain, Horizon 2020 has not only influenced the European R&D landscape but also the national R&D landscape of individual member countries. “Nowadays, there is a bigger focus on post-project activities when it comes to designing a new regional, national, or European R&D strategy,” he says. “R&D is not the final objective anymore, but an instrument to eventually generate an impact.”

Horizon Europe incorporates lessons learned from Horizon 2020, while facing the new global challenges of the coming decade. For instance, there is going to be a major focus on sustainable development, and 35 percent of the program’s budget is expected to address the climate change crisis. One of the key novelties of Horizon Europe, the Research & Innovation Missions, also points in that direction. The European Commission defined these missions as “a portfolio of actions across disciplines intended to achieve a bold and inspirational and measurable goal within a set timeframe.” The five proposed areas for these missions are adaptation to climate change; cancer; soil health and food; healthy oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters; and climate-neutral and smart cities. The Euratom program, which focuses on safe nuclear research and radiation protection, is also undergoing some changes under Horizon Europe, with an increased focus on non-power applications of radiation.