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| EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (Horizon 2020) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Horizon 2020 |
| Caption | Emblem of Horizon 2020 |
| Established | 2014 |
| Dissolved | 2020 |
| Budget | €77 billion |
| Predecessor | Framework Programme 7 |
| Successor | Horizon Europe |
EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (Horizon 2020) is the European Union's research and innovation funding programme that ran from 2014 to 2020, designed to foster competitiveness and economic growth across the European Union, United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland and associated countries. It aimed to integrate research actors such as European Commission, European Research Council, European Investment Bank, European Institute of Innovation and Technology and national research agencies to support collaborative projects across multiple thematic areas. The programme combined earlier initiatives like Framework Programme 7 and elements of Innovation Union to streamline funding instruments for universities, companies, and public institutions such as Max Planck Society, CNRS, Karolinska Institute, Fraunhofer Society and CERN.
Horizon 2020 was established by the European Parliament, Council of the European Union and European Commission following policy interactions with the Lisbon Strategy, Europe 2020 strategy and the RKD Treaty frameworks to address competitiveness, job creation and the digital single market. The objectives included promoting excellence through the European Research Council, supporting industrial leadership via European Institute of Innovation and Technology and addressing societal challenges linked to health and ageing with stakeholders like World Health Organization, European Medicines Agency and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. It sought to rectify fragmentation observed under Framework Programme 7, align with priorities set by the European Council and respond to recommendations from the OECD and European Court of Auditors.
The programme comprised three main pillars: "Excellent Science" administered through the European Research Council, "Industrial Leadership" interacting with entities like European Investment Bank and "Societal Challenges" which coordinated thematic calls involving institutions such as European Environment Agency, European Food Safety Authority and European Central Bank for multidisciplinary research. Cross-cutting instruments included Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions for individual fellowships, SME Instrument for small and medium enterprises including participants like Siemens, SAP SE and Roche, and the European Innovation Council pilot projects that linked to Startup Europe, EIT Digital and EIT Health. Strategic partnerships featured collaborations with multinational initiatives such as Joint Research Centre, CERN Openlab, Human Brain Project and the Graphene Flagship.
The total budget was approximately €77 billion, managed jointly by the European Commission and financial partners including the European Investment Bank and national funding agencies like National Science Foundation (United States)-style counterparts in member states. Allocation mechanisms distributed funds to the European Research Council grants, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions fellowships, collaborative projects with consortia involving University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, Technical University of Munich and public–private partnerships such as IMI and EUREKA. Evaluation panels drew on experts from institutions like Max Planck Society, CNRS and Wellcome Trust to prioritize proposals within thematic clusters including Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 1 and Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 2.
Participation rules allowed entities from European Union member states, associated countries such as Norway, Israel, Switzerland (subject to bilateral agreements), and international partners including United States, Japan, China and India. Eligible participants included universities (e.g., University of Barcelona, Sorbonne University), research organisations (e.g., Max Planck Society, CNRS), industry partners (e.g., Airbus, Siemens), and SMEs supported by European Investment Fund programs. Specific eligibility criteria referenced national agency requirements like those of Research Council UK and regional bodies such as Catalan Agency for Management of University and Research Grants.
Administration was led by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation in coordination with executive agencies such as Research Executive Agency and financial oversight from the European Court of Auditors. Calls for proposals were evaluated by peer reviewers drawn from academia and industry including members of Royal Society, Academia Europaea and the National Academy of Sciences (United States). Grant agreements and consortium management involved legal frameworks influenced by Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and compliance with ethics bodies like European Data Protection Supervisor and regulatory agencies including European Medicines Agency.
Horizon 2020 supported thousands of projects that produced outputs used by organisations such as Siemens, Roche, Bayer, research centres like CERN, EMBL and universities including UCL and LMU Munich; it contributed to advances in areas such as renewable energy projects linked to European Green Deal initiatives, health innovations relevant to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control priorities, digital technologies aligned with the Digital Agenda for Europe, and materials science results associated with the Graphene Flagship. The programme elevated the profiles of grantees including recipients of Nobel Prize, Fields Medal and Lasker Award-associated research, and fed into successor policies embodied in Horizon Europe.
Criticisms included concerns from the European Court of Auditors and commentators in outlets like The Guardian and Le Monde about administrative complexity, perceived bias favoring large institutions such as University of Cambridge and CNRS, and participation imbalances across member states including disparities flagged by European Semester country reports. Debates arose over association agreements with Switzerland and participation of United Kingdom post-Brexit negotiations, while controversies involved project selections tied to influential firms such as Google and Facebook and scrutiny from civil society organisations like Greenpeace and Amnesty International about ethics, data protection and partnerships with private actors.