Horizon Europe budget expanded by nearly €562 million

The Horizon Europe budget is now at nearly €16 billion for 2021 and 2022, with the EU pushing for innovation in climate, health and digital

The European Commission have announced an amendment to the Work Programme 2021-2022, which will substantially inflate the Horizon Europe budget.

The Horizon Europe Work Programme has five key aims

The influx of €507.1 million is allocated for the five EU missions, which aim to bring solutions for existing crises across the bloc. In September 2021, the European Commission launched five EU missions – covering aims like curing cancer and tackling climate change, by 2030.

Currently, Mission Cancer is the biggest, with an investment of €129.56 million to improve and upscale primary prevention of cancer, strengthen research capacities of Comprehensive Cancer Infrastructures, and create clinical trials to optimise treatments.

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “With this revision of the Work Programme we reinforce the impetus to address, through research and innovation, our greatest societal challenges with new and innovative tools, such as the EU Missions.

“In addition, we will support the displaced researchers of Ukraine to continue their research and innovation work.”

The budget will also support researchers fleeing Ukraine

With the ongoing aggression of Russia in Ukraine, the EU is shifting funding – beginning with cutting off all incoming Russian collaborations.

Under the new MSCA4Ukraine scheme, part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), €25 million will be given to support displaced researchers to continue their work – at an academic or non-academic host organisation in the EU Member States, or in countries associated to Horizon Europe.

This funding will also help to re-establish these individuals in Ukraine, when rebuilding the country’s research and innovation framework becomes a plausible outcome.

Hundreds of Ukrainian scientists will also be able to benefit from an increased budget of €1 million, to the Human Frontier Science Programme for the initiative of “scientists help scientists”, as part of Horizon Europe’s Cluster 1 ‘Health’.

Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age, said: “These additional investments in research and innovation will help us to deliver on key policies. Horizon Europe shows not only its forward looking vision to create a healthier, greener and digital Europe but also its solidarity to support displaced researchers of Ukraine.”