Commission presents breakdown of €8.5 billion investment in research and innovation in 2017

The European Commission today updated the 2017 work programme of Horizon 2020, the EU’s research and innovation scheme, which will invest €8.5 billion in research and innovation next year. Important novelties include the introduction of open research data in all new Horizon 2020 calls. For projects funded under the programme, free online access to scientific data will become the norm, which will boost competitiveness through open science by accelerating innovation and collaboration. The programme also reacts to topical developments by reinforcing research into migration. In response to the refugee crisis, funding will be dedicated to new research to understand migration but also to develop effective policies for managing the influx and integrating migrants into society and the economy. Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, said: “The response to the Horizon 2020 calls has been immense, with around more than 90,000 eligible proposals submitted in the past two and a half years. We are now giving innovation an additional boost by making open research data the norm: from now on, the scientific community and innovative businesses can access research information more easily and affordably. And by reinforcing research on migration, we demonstrate once again that Horizon 2020 can adapt quickly to new and emerging challenges.” The funding opportunities offered by the Work Programme are directly aligned with the Commission’s 10 priorities as well as the strategic priorities of Commissioner Moedas. Working with a total budget of nearly €77 billion over seven years, Horizon 2020 will support a range of cross-cutting initiatives in 2017: Industry 2020 in the Circular Economy (€325 million) to develop strong and sustainable economies; Green Vehicles (€133 million); Smart and Sustainable Cities (€115 million) to better integrate environmental, transport, energy and digital networks in the EU’s urban environments; Technologies and standards for automatic driving (over €50 million); and the Internet of Things (€37 million) to foster the take-up of digital technologies in Europe. The new work programme also increases support for excellence in cutting-edge research. Grants of a total of €1.8 billion will be awarded to top scientists by the European Research Council, making this its highest annual budget since its launch in 2007. More information on the work programme update, a press MEMO, a factsheet on the new migration topics and an infographic on Open Data are available online