HORIZON 2020 : NEW FRAMEWORK TO FOCUS ON SMES AND MARKET-ORIENTED RESEARCH.

The promise of a simpler, more concentrated and more readily available EU-level research funding system is held out in the European Commission's Horizon 2020 legislative package, issued on 30 November. Complementing the two draft regulations and a proposal for a Council decision, which make up the 2014-2020 framework for the EU-level innovation and research programme. Simultaneously, a strategic innovation agenda for the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and a new programme to boost competitiveness and innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were also put forward. The strategic innovation agenda is planned to receive 2.8 billion from Horizon 2020's 80 billion budget, while the latter is slated to receive an additional 2.5 billion.

Commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn said: "We need a new vision for European research and innovation in a dramatically changed economic environment. Horizon 2020 provides direct stimulus to the economy and secures our science and technology base and industrial competitiveness for the future, promising a smarter, more sustainable and more inclusive society".

This eight framework programme on research and innovation claims to offer a more business-oriented approach, favouring research aimed at creating innovative products, and divides its resources among three priorities. A budget of 24.6 billion is written under the heading Excellent science', specifically distributed to four initiatives. The European Research Council (ERC), responsible for innovative frontier research', receives 13.2 billion. A further 3.1 billion is the share of development in future and emerging technologies, while 5.75 billion goes for the Marie Curie Actions to fund training, mobility and career development of researchers. Developing priority research infrastructures is allocated 2.4 billion.

The second objective, entitled Industrial leadership', with a budget of 17.9 billion, is supposed to facilitate investments in innovation, above all in nanotechnologies, biotechnology and space.

A final 31.7 billion is put aside to counter six groups of major societal challenges, centred on the keywords of health, food security, clean energy, green' transport, climate action and...