Maximising the impact of Horizon Europe for EU economy and society

30 January 2020

In 2019 a provisional political agree...

In 2019 a provisional political agreement was reached between the European Parliament and Council on Horizon Europe – the next EU Framework Programme for research, development and innovation (R&D&I), set to run from 2021-2027. Now, the Commission has begun a strategic planning process to prepare the content for the first four years of the programme.

Representing innovative technology companies active in R&D&I collaboration across sectors, Orgalim has put forward its recommendations on how this planning can maximise the impact of Horizon Europe, in particular to support the EU’s industrial competitiveness in a time of unprecedented transformation in our economy and society.

We are convinced that for Europe to successfully master this evolution, we will need to address challenges in three main areas: 1) technology, where rapid digital transformation co-exists with ever-shorter innovation cycles; 2) sustainability, including climate, energy and environment, and 3) broader societal and economic challenges. Targeted R&D&I funding can play a key role in tackling these issues on all three fronts. Orgalim’s recommendations explore how, by identifying concrete research areas and building blocks of competitiveness – including improved access to technologies for companies of all sizes and regions, more agile and adaptative cyber-physical production systems, investment in innovative solutions from existing companies as well as start-ups and new ventures, and closing gaps between the actors needed for a circular economy.

Our recommendations also highlight actions needed to make sure the European research and innovation ecosystem remains fit for the future. Priorities in this area must be to ensure an agile, thriving ecosystem that builds on European strengths such as a culture of cross-border cooperation between industry, universities and research institutes; to increase access to advanced testing and demonstration facilities and technology infrastructure; to focus on partnerships for R&I collaboration that have impact and make business sense; and to foster trust in the ecosystem with a balanced approach to data sharing. 

Needless to say the final shape of the future Horizon Europe programme will be highly dependent on the outcome of the ongoing negotiations on the EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). The technology industries represented by Orgalim stand firmly by their position that the EU institutions should make Horizon Europe a priority within the MFF – with a particular focus on the ‘Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness’ pillar.

Check out our position paper to read our recommendations in full.