What is Horizon Europe?

In 2021, the Horizon Europe programme commenced with a budget of €95.5 billion to invest in innovative projects that contribute towards a fair and prosperous future for people and planet. To achieve this, Horizon Europe will strengthen the connection between scientific and technological innovation, while tackling key societal challenges set out in the Sustainable Development Goals. The goal is to increase European leadership in innovation and entrepreneurship, through world-class research. Additionally, it removes barriers to development and enables public and private sectors to work together to deliver innovations.

Some funding programmes under Horizon Europe, such as the EIC, have published their 2025 Work Programmes. The wider Horizon Europe programme for 2025 will be adopted from March 2025.

Horizon Europe structure

The preliminary structure of the new programme is divided over 3 pillars and 1 horizontal focus area:

The Horizon Europe programme also aims to implement mission-driven research focusing on 5 different missions. A mission is a set of actions across multiple disciplines with the aim of reaching a bold and inspirational goal with high impact on society, within a pre-set timeframe. These missions will be addressed within the Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness pillar:

1. Adaptation to climate change including societal transformation
2. Cancer
3. Climate-neutral and smart cities
4. Healthy oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters
5. Soil health and food

Further below we explain more about the different grants and clusters within these pillars.