Factsheet on Industrial participation

One of the three objectives under Horizon 2020, 'Industrial leadership and competitive frameworks' has a budget of € 17.9 billion. It aims to make Europe a more attractive location for businesses, large and small, to invest and set the research and innovation agenda. Three key elements will support this goal:

• Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
• Access to Risk Finance
• Innovation in SMEs,

Factsheet: SMEs in Horizon 2020

Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) will be encouraged to participate across Horizon 2020 programmes through a new dedicated SME instrument. It aims to fill gaps in funding for early-stage, high-risk research and innovation by SMEs as well as stimulating breakthrough innovations. It is expected that through this integrated strategy around 15%, or €6.8 billion, of the total combined budgets of the 'Tackling societal challenges' Specific Programme and the 'Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies' objective will be devoted to SMEs.

Factsheet: Rules under Horizon 2020

The Horizon 2020 Framework Programme represents a radically new and comprehensive approach to the EU's research and innovation funding policies. The Rules for Participation and Dissemination are designed to implement this new approach in a way that means that researchers and businesses can benefit from it to the fullest extent. The new provisions ensure that three key objectives of the new Framework Programme – integration of support to innovation, coherence of the rules and simplification for the benefit of participants – will be realised.

Factsheet: Widening participation in Horizon 2020

The Framework Programmes for research and technology development (FP) have provided a vital contribution to the development of European competitiveness, growth and knowledge generation. There has however been considerable variation across Member States and regions in terms of FP participation. Horizon 2020 will continue to provide funding on the basis of excellence, regardless of geographical location. However, the European Commission will make a major effort under Horizon 2020 to recognise and promote excellence across Europe.

Factsheet: Information / Communications Technologies (ICT) in Horizon 2020

The overall aim of EU research and innovation information and communication (ICTs) under Horizon 2020 is to bring the benefits of progress in these technologies to European citizens and businesses. 25 years ago only a few geeks and scientists might have imagined that mobile phones and computers could be connected across the world or that they would be essential to our daily lives. Today, a mobile phone is a million times cheaper and a thousand times more powerful than the world's leading computer of 1970. What used to fit in a building now slips into your pocket. Thanks to the hard work and dreams of ambitious scientists with bright ideas, today we take these things for granted. Our way of living is shaped by the results of research and innovation in ICT.
As a whole, the ICT sector represents 4.8% of the EU economy. It generates 25% of total business expenditure in Research and Development (R&D), and investments in ICT account for 50% of all European productivity growth.

Factsheet: International participation in Horizon 2020

A key element of Horizon 2020

International cooperation in EU research and innovation programmes is important in order to strengthen the EU's excellence in research, to tackle global challenges jointly and to support EU external policies. International cooperation will be promoted under Horizon 2020.

Funding for international cooperation will be more focussed to:

• promote competiveness;
• target ‘Societal Challenges’ identified in Horizon 2020; and,
• support external European policies.

The new international cooperation strategy will differentiate between three country groupings:

• industrialised and emerging economies (which will only receive funding under specific conditions);
• enlargement and neighbourhood countries [eligible for automatic funding] and,
• developing countries (eligible for automatic funding).

Source: Horizon 2020 Factsheets