The European Commission recently adopted the Horizon Europe programme, which will invest 14.7 billion euros in 2021-2022 to accelerate the green and digital transition of Member States. Funding will be used on a number of objectives: to support European researchers with scholarships, training courses and exchanges; to build more connected and efficient European innovation ecosystems; to create excellent research infrastructures, as well as encouraging participation throughout Europe and throughout the world, while strengthening the European Research Area.
Some 5.8 billion euros will be invested in research and innovation to support the European Green Deal and the EU’s commitment in making the EU the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.
4 billion euros will be used for the development of basic digital technologies, allowing, for example, the full potential of research and innovation tools in the field of health care, media, cultural heritage and creative economy, energy, mobility and food production, supporting the modernisation of industrial models and promoting industrial leadership.
The programme also provides for some 2 billion euros to be used to repair the immediate economic and social damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In line with Next Generation EU, funding will help build a post-coronavirus Europe that is not only greener and more digital, but also more resilient to current and future challenges, also focusing on areas that aim to modernise health systems and contribute to research capacities, especially in regard to the development of vaccines.