Horizon Europe Budget
In 2021, the Horizon Europe programme will succeed the Horizon 2020 program. The Horizon Europe budget will be approximately €95.5 billion. Horizon Europe will run from 2021, lasting until 2027. Currently the exact Horizon Europe budget allocation is still under consultation. But Catalyze has gathered all the officially published budget information on this page.

Horizon Europe Budget allocation
The preliminary structure of Horizon Europe is divided over 3 pillars and 1 horizontal focus area. The total budget of €95.5 billion will be divided over these pillars.
- Excellent Science
- Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
- Innovative Europe aims to improve SME growth and the European innovation landscape.
The horizontal pillar will focus on Widening Participation, throughout the entire Horizon Europe program. The aim of this is to widen the participation in Horizon Europe throughout the entire continent and improve the participation of low R&I performing Member States in Horizon Europe. This pillar is expected to include programs like: Teaming, Twinning, Cost and ERA Chairs.
Read on below to view the estimated Horizon Europe budget breakdown across all pillars and work programmes.
Pillar 1: Excellent Science
Within Pillar 1: Excellent Science, three work programmes have been included in the structure:
- European Research Council (ERC). European Research Council: funding frontier research designed and driven by the best researchers in Europe. The ERC work programme is now open. The 2022 deadlines are available and the deadlines for 2023 have been announced.
- Total budget, 2022: €2.4 billion
- Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions (MSCA). Funding fellowships and mobility of researchers. A preliminary deadline for MSCA-ITN has been published.
- Total budget, 2022: €874M
- Research Infrastructures (RI). Funding new world-class research infrastructures.
- Total budget, 2022: €318M
More about the Excellent Science Pillar
Pillar 2: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Focusing on funding research addressing societal challenges, reinforcing technological and industrial capacities. Furthermore, this pillar aims to set and reach European goals concerning the biggest challenges (climate change, health clean energy and digital). Within this pillar partnerships of European countries, industry and stakeholders will be funded to perform joint R&D activities. This is divided over multiple clusters:
- Health.
- Total budget: 2022: €936.6M
- Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society
- Total estimated budget: 2022: €264.17M
- Civil security for society
- Total estimated budget: 2022: €193.29M
- Digital, Industry and Space
- Total estimated budget: 2022: €1766.05M
- Climate, Energy and Mobility
- Total estimated budget: 2022: €1576.51M
- Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
- Total estimated budget: 2022: €900.64M
- Joint Research Centre: supporting policymakers, both European and national, with independent scientific evidence and support.
More about the Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness pillar
Pillar 3: Innovative Europe
The goal of this third pillar is “stimulating market-creating breakthroughs and ecosystems conducive to innovation”.
- European Innovation Council (EIC). Focusing on market-creating innovation and SME growth. In the past years a pilot for the EIC program has been released, including EIC accelerator and EIC Pathfinder calls.
- Total estimated budget, 2022: to be announced
- European Innovation Ecosystems. Aims at connecting with regional and national innovation actors.
- Total budget, 2022: €69.8M
- European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). Focusing on integrating research, higher education, business and entrepreneurship.
More about the Innovative Europe pillar
Horizontal focus: Widening Participation and strengthening the European research area
The horizontal pillar will focus on Widening Participation, throughout the entire Horizon Europe program. The aim of this is to widen the participation in Horizon Europe throughout the entire continent and improve the participation of low R&I performing Member States in Horizon Europe. This pillar is expected to include programs like: Teaming, Twinning, Cost and ERA Chairs. Total budget for 2022: €414M.
Get Horizon Europe budget updates with Catalyze Alerts
Staying up-to-date on funding programs is important, but takes a lot of time. With Catalyze Alerts you will receive all relevant updates on upcoming funds: Horizon Europe, but also EIC and Eurostars 2022.
Learn more about Horizon Europe