Commission proposes R&I Budget Boost for Horizon Europe (FP9)

On 2 May 2018 the European Commission published its proposal for the European Union’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) covering the period 2021-2027. You can find details of the proposed MFF here.

Despite the potential financial consequences of the departure of the UK from the EU, the Commission has proposed an increase in the budget for Research and Innovation activities to EUR 97.9 billion EUR for the next Research Framework Programme 2021-2027 provisionally named FP9 and now officially entitled ‘Horizon Europe’. Horizon Europe will be the EU’s biggest ever research and innovation funding programme.

The reasoning behind the naming of  'Horizon Europe' is explained by Commissioner Carlos Moedas here.

Funding for research and innovation and for the ERASMUS programme are the only budget lines being increased compared with the current MFF. This proposal will now be subject to extensive discussions within and between the Commission and the European Council and European Parliament.

Chemical Industry positive
The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) reacted positively to the proposal, commending the level of ambition and commitment for Research & Innovation in the European Commission’s proposal

Increasing the budget foreseen for Horizon Europe sends a clear message: Europe wants to continue to be one of the leading continents in a global innovation race.

Innovation is essential for the EU to grow a low carbon, circular and digital economy and to continue generating jobs and attracting investments. Cefic will be happy to work with the EU institutions to ensure that funding will be used to further strengthen Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) to develop high value-added products and processes.

Marco Mensink, Cefic Director General said: “This ambitious funding for research and innovation under the MFF is a good start. It shows that the European Commission is serious about making the EU a global innovation hub – a vision that we hope the Council and the European Parliament can only support”.

Sustainable KETs
In preparation for Horizon Europe, SusChem has outlined its position on what can be achieved by Key Enabling Technologies (KETs). In a White paper on KETs and FP9/ Horizon Europe published earlier this year the technology platform outlined the major technology developments and initiatives needed to:

• Create Advanced Materials for use in energy efficiency (e.g., light weight), renewable electricity production and energy storage (e.g., batteries elements), or smart functionalities responding to stimuli (e.g., self-repair),
• Develop Advanced Process Technologies, including Industrial Biotechnology, for more sustainable production including through utilisation of alternative carbon feedstock (waste, biomass, CO2) and alternative energy sources, and
• Leverage Digital Technologies for use in advanced process control and materials modelling, to enable disruptive business models and to create new customer experiences.

You can read the full paper here.