Horizon 2020 will conclude on a high note

The EU program announced its biggest call for proposals to date

It is the year 2020, which means that this marks the end of the Horizon 2020, EU’s biggest research and innovation program for the past seven years. This ending will be marked by a bang rather than a whimper since the European Commission informed that it is launching a 1 billion-euro Green Deal Call for research and innovation projects that will propose forward-thinking solutions to the environmental challenges that have arisen in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

Did you know that Horizon 2020 is the largest EU research and innovation programme ever?

The Green Deal Call is designed to be different and stand out from previous Horizon 2020 calls. Since the challenges which are affronted are considered much more urgent it is expected that the proposed solutions should likewise match this urgency. To that end, the encouragement is to submit projects which have short- and medium-term impacts, but also have the potential to be developed further in time.

 “The €1 billion European Green Deal call is the last and biggest call under Horizon 2020. With innovation at its heart, this investment will accelerate a just and sustainable transition to a climate-neutral Europe by 2050. As we do not want anyone left behind in this systemic transformation, we call for specific actions to engage with citizens in novel ways and improve societal relevance and impact”. These were the words of Mariya Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, as quoted by the European Commission’s website.

The proposed initiatives have to propose multi-dimensional solutions aligned with the 8 thematic areas of the European Green Deal, among which are Increasing climate ambition, Industry for a clean and circular economy, Sustainable and smart mobility and Biodiversity and ecosystems.

Furthermore, they will have to synchronize with two other areas – Strengthening knowledge and Empowering citizens – so they can also be equipped with a socially-directed and practical dimension that will point towards mindset transformation among European residents.

The call and the larger programme are seen as essential in reaching the stated goals of the European Green Deal by the year 2050. The deadline for applications is 26 January 2021 and projects are expected to commence in the autumn of that year.

What will happen after Horizon 2020? The European Commission is already working on the heir innovation programme called Horizon Europe which will count with an impressive 100-billion-euro budget. Money that will go towards driving forward innovation on the continent in the future.