Brussels, 30/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - €80 billion to boost research and innovation in Europe. This was presented on Wednesday 30 November by the European Commission for the financing period 2014-2020. The Horizon 2020 programme, which was presented by the commissioner with responsibility for research, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, was presented in the form of a triptych: a plank on research and innovation in the strictest sense, a strategic innovation programme for the European Innovation and Technology Institute (EIT) with an envelope of €2.8 billion (under Horizon 2020) and an additional programme aiming to boost competitiveness and innovation among SMEs, with an additional budget of €2.5 billion (see other article). Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, who stressed that “we need a new vision for European research and innovation in a dramatically changed economic environment”, added that “Horizon 2020 provides direct stimulus to the economy and secures our science and technology base and industrial competitiveness for the future”.
For the first time, Horizon 2020 brings together all EU funding in the field of research and innovation into a single programme. It lays greater emphasis than previously on transforming scientific discoveries into innovative products and services which create commercial outlets and improve people's lives. At the same time, it considerably reduces administrative formalities by simplifying the rules and procedures, with the aim of attracting more high-level researchers and a broader range of companies in the field of innovation.
Horizon 2020 will devote funds to the achievement of three fundamental objectives. It will help the EU to hold on to its leading role in the field of science with a budget of €24.6 billion, including a 77% increase in funding to the European Research Council (a sum of €13.2 billion). It will also help the Union to hang onto its lead in industrial innovation with a budget of €17.9 billion, including a major investment of €13.7 billion in generic technologies (information and communication technologies - ICT, nanotechnologies, biotechnologies and space), and increased access to capital (dedicated budget: €3.5 billion) and support for SMEs. Lastly, €31.7 billion will be earmarked for subjects of major concern which are of interest to all Europeans, divided into six themes: health, demographic evolution and welfare; food security, sustainable agriculture, marine and maritime research and the bio-economy; safe, clean and efficient energy sources; intelligent, green and integrated transport; the fight against climate change, the effective use of resources and raw materials; and inclusive, innovative and safe societies.
EIT to create more innovation clusters. The European Innovation and Technology Institute (EIT) will also step up its efforts in favour of innovation and entrepreneurship within the EU, with the creation of six new cross-border innovation clusters, to be known as the knowledge and innovation communities (KICs), over the period 2014-2020. The European Commission has proposed a budget of €2.8 billion in the next financial framework, to allow the EIT to extend and support the development of existing KICs, which are based around climate change, sustainable energy and ICT.
On Wednesday, the Commission also adopted a proposal on the EIT strategic innovation programme, which defines the operational framework of the Institute over the next years. With this, it intends to boost the creation of young companies (up to 600) and the training of 25,000 students and 10,000 Ph.D students in new courses combining a scientific plank of excellence and a strong entrepreneurial component.
The EIT brings together higher education establishments, research centres and cutting-edge businesses, with the objective of responding to the major challenges of society in an innovative way. It adds to other European initiatives in the field of education and research, and comes in the framework of Horizon 2020. The Commission is planning to create new KICs in two stages.
A first group, with creation planned for 2014, will work on the following topics: innovation for a healthy life and active ageing (improving the standard of living and welfare of European citizens of all ages); foods for the future (a sustainable food supply chain, from farm to fork); raw materials (sustainable prospecting, mining, processing, recycling and replacement).
The following KIC wave, planned for 2018, will focus on: high added-value production (development of more competitive, sustainable and environmentally-friendly production processes); smart and safe companies (in response to gaps in Europe in terms of safety, by developing and setting in place innovative ICT solutions); mobility (creating a greener, more inclusive, safer and more intelligent urban mobility system). (OL/transl.fl)