HORIZON 2020

Like FP7 (2007-2013), H2020 will run for 7 years (2014-2020) and its budget will be around 79 billion euros, plus 2.37 billion euros from Euratom.

The great novelty of H2020 lies in its structure, where the scientific and technological areas are no longer divided into themes (as in FP7), and the concept of Societal Challenges has emerged, which are included in Pillar III of H2020. This is based on two other pillars where science funding will help develop Scientific Excellence (Pillar I) and forge European Industrial Leadership (Pillar II). Outside these pillars are the more horizontal issues.

There are also some new features with regard to rules for participation and legal and financial aspects which have been simplified. Work programs, calls and budgets are, for the most part, biannual.
There is also a greater emphasis on industry and innovation, as well as on linking research to the market and society.

H2020 is structured around three main pillars:

• Pillar I – Scientific Excellence – with four thematic areas: EUR 24.44 billion
• Pillar II – Industrial Leadership – with three main thematic areas with some subdivisions: EUR 17.02 billion
• Pillar III – Societal Challenges – with seven societal challenges: EUR 29.68 billion

In addition to the three pillars, H2020 also has a budget for horizontal issues such as the Euratom program (EUR 2.37 billion), the Joint Research Center (EUR 1.90 billion), and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EUR 2.71 billion).

This pillar supports the activities of the European Research Council (ERC) relating to frontier research, Future Emerging Technologies (FET), Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and European Research Infrastructures. In this pillar, all research must be funded on the basis of excellence.

The budget for each of these activities will be:

• ERC: EUR 13.09 billion
• FET: EUR 2.70 billion
• Marie Skłodowska-Curie: EUR 6.16 billion
• Research Infrastructures: EUR 2.49 billion

The “Industrial Leadership” Pillar is designed to encourage an increase in the competitiveness of the European development industry and to support Leadership in Industrial Enabling Technologies, LEIT (e.g. ICT, Nanotechnologies, Materials, Biotechnologies and Space Technologies). This Pillar also includes financial instruments to help companies (SMEs in particular) and to facilitate Access to Risk Finance for innovative companies and projects in order to bring innovation to the market.

The topics covered in this pillar will have the following budgets:

• Leadership in Industrial Enabling Technologies (LEIT)
  • Key Enabling Technologies (KET)
    • Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials, Biotechnologies, Advanced Manufacturing and Processing (NMP+B): EUR 4.21 billion
    • Information and Communications Technologies, Microelectronics, Nanoelectronics and Photonics (ICT): EUR 7.71 billion
  • Space: EUR 1.50 billion
• Access to Risk Financing: EUR 2.84 billion
• Innovation for SMEs: EUR 0.62 billion

The mission of Pillar III will be to increase the effectiveness of research and innovation in order to respond to fundamental “Societal Challenges” by supporting activities that must bring together resources and knowledge from different fields, technologies and disciplines.
These Societal Challenges, identified in the Europe 2020 Strategy, also represent major economic opportunities for innovative companies and therefore contribute to competitiveness and employment in the Union.
Research in social sciences and humanities is an important element in addressing all the challenges. Activities should cover the whole range of research and innovation with an emphasis on innovation-related activities such as pilot and demonstration projects, test beds and support for public procurement, pre-normative research, standard setting and market uptake of innovations. The activities should directly support the corresponding competences in sectoral policies at Union level. All challenges should also contribute to the overarching goal of sustainable development.

• DS1 – Health, Demographic Change and Well-being: EUR 7.47 billion
• DS2 – Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Marine and Maritime Research and Inland Waters and the Bioeconomy: EUR 3.85 billion
• DS3 – Safe, Clean and Efficient Energy: EUR 5.41 billion
• DS4 – Intelligent, Green and Integrated Transport: EUR 6.34 billion
• DS5 – Climate Action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials: EUR 3.08 billion
• DS6 – Europe in a Changing World – Inclusive, Innovative and Thinking Societies: EUR 1.31 billion
• DS7 – Secure Societies – Protection, Freedom and Security of Europe and its Citizens: EUR 1.70 billion

In addition to the themes covered by the three Pillars, other projects may be financed by the following programs or instruments:

• Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation: EUR 0.82 billion
  This instrument aims to promote the empowerment of regions for more competitive participation in framework programs.
• Science with and for Society: EUR 0.46 billion
  For effective cooperation between science and society, to recruit new talents for science and to promote scientific development of excellence together with responsibility and involvement of society.
• European Institute of Innovation and Technology: 2.71 billion euros
  This institute aims to create the entire cycle of innovation and knowledge, from education, through research and innovation, to entrepreneurship and the market.
• Fast Track to Innovation
  This pilot instrument is aimed at proposals for innovation actions linked to any area of technology and any legal entity can take part.
• SME Facility: EUR 2.30 billion
  New approach to supporting SME innovation activities.
• Euratom Fusion: EUR 0.47 billion
  For research activities in the field of nuclear energy, within the framework of fusion.
• Euratom Fission: EUR 1.06 billion
  For nuclear energy research activities in the field of fission

H2020 allows for the creation of ambitious and lasting partnerships between the public and private sectors in the form of Joint Technology Initiatives. The JTIs created in FP7 will continue in H2020:

• Joint Technology Initiative for Bioindustries
• CleanSky Joint Technology Initiative
• Joint Technology Initiative on Electronic Components and Systems
• Joint Technology Initiative on Innovative Medicines
• Joint Initiative for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
• Single European Sky ATM Research Joint Initiative

Other initiatives may be identified during the implementation of H2020.

Key Enabling Technologies (KET), which fall under the second pillar, “Industrial Leadership”, are technologies that require advanced knowledge and a high level of R&D in order to promote innovation in society and the economy. KETs are interdisciplinary technologies that cover and integrate different sectors:

• Photonics;
• Advanced Manufacturing Processes;
• Biotechnology;
• Advanced Materials;
• Micro/Nano electronics;
• Nanotechnologies.

In Horizon 2020 there will be two different approaches for SMEs:

• Bottom-up: through a new instrument that will be open mainly to SMEs – SME Instrument;
• Top-down: through participation in the calls published under the “Industrial Leadership” and “Societal Challenges” pillars.

The Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) are the operational units of the European Institute of Technology (EIT) working in interdisciplinary areas of strategic importance. In Horizon 2020, 5 new KICs will be added to the existing ones (“Energy”, “ICT” and “Climate Change”). The new KICs for the 2014-2020 period will be launched in three different phases:

• Phase One 2014:
  • “Healthy living and active ageing”
  • “Raw materials”
• Second Phase 2016:
  • “Food4Future”
  • “Added value manufacturing”
• Third Phase 2018:
  • “Urban Mobility”

The first H2020 calls will be published on December 11, 2013.
The Work Programs, including the calls, should be launched biannually but with annual deadlines for submitting proposals. The date of publication of the calls and the respective deadlines may vary according to the programs.

The main types of projects in Horizon will be Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA).

Research and Innovation Activities are characterized by fundamental and applied research, technology development and integration. Innovation Actions are designed to produce plans or projects for new or improved products, processes or services. As these actions move closer to the market, they will include prototypes to demonstrate and pilot product validation and replication.

For market approach (MI) projects the funding rate is 70%, but for non-profit organizations the rate is 100%.

Horizon 2020 also includes Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, ERC projects, the SME Instrument and Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) and Public Procurement of innovative Solutions (PPI) actions.

Consortium agreements are mandatory for all multi-beneficiary (consortium) projects unless the Call specifies otherwise.

According to the minimum conditions for participation, 3 independent legal entities from 3 different Member States or Associated States are required, which means that more than one entity per country can participate if the minimum is met. However, it is advisable to consult the specific Work Program for the intended call, as additional conditions may be found there. For the actions of the European Research Council Program, and for the SME Instrument, it is indeed possible for only one entity to participate.

Eligible costs are those that are:

• Reais; incurred during the execution period of the action;
• Determined in accordance with the participant’s usual accounting and management practices and principles;
• Recorded in the participant’s accounts.

In Horizon 2020 it is also possible to have unit costs, apartment rate costs and lump sum costs. Average personnel costs are also accepted if this is standard practice for the institution.

Ineligible costs are those that do not meet the conditions laid down by the Financial Regulation, namely provisions for possible future losses and charges, exchange losses, costs related to return on capital, costs reimbursed in relation to another Union or Programme action, debts and debt charges and excessive or bad expenditure.

The funding rate for indirect costs for all research and innovation projects is 25%, for all types of entities.

Yes, non-recoverable VAT is an eligible cost for Horizon 2020 projects.

This is a computer system created to prepare and submit proposals under FP7 and which will also be used in H2020.
Access will be via the Participant Portal on the Call page.

This is a third country that is party to an international agreement with the Community under which, or on the basis of which, it contributes financially to all or part of Horizon 2020.