20/01/2017 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 20 January, the European Commission revealed the composition of its new high-level group which will advise it on the mid-term review of Horizon 2020, the research and innovation framework programme. The group will be 15-strong, with members for the most part made up of entrepreneurs and chief executives. It is due to meet for the first time in March. Changes that the Commission is considering in some areas of Horizon 2020 include: a new bottom-up approach to support innovation in any area as opposed to predefining topics; a proposal evaluation system that includes face-to-face interviews; and bringing together different instruments to simplify access to finance. The group will also make recommendations for the potential remit of a European Innovation Council concept under future EU programmes. The names of the group members can be found at: https://goo.gl/RgLEyK (JK)