Member Article

€80 billion on the Horizon for European SMEs

An €80 billion fund for European research and innovation projects has been OKed by MEPs.

The Horizon 2020 programme was approved by the European Parliament today as one of the biggest publicly funded schemes of its kind, worldwide.

It will mean investment in ‘Key Enabling Technologies’ across the EU, such as nanotechnologies and biotechnologies; facilitate public-private partnerships in areas such as medicine and green aircraft technologies; and will also mean increased funding for the European Research Council.

Speaking following the vote, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commission for Research, Innovation and Science said: “This is a vote of confidence in the power of EU research and innovation funding.

“It paves the way for more investment in knowledge and competitiveness in Europe. The European Parliament’s support for and input to Horizon 2020 has been very important.”

MEPs have set a target that 11% of the Horizon 2020 budget must go to SMEs and a specialised department within the framework will ensure the programme’s calls for tender are SME friendly.

Horizon 2020 will now run from 2014 to 2020 and replaces the ‘Seventh Framework Programme’ which ends this year and administered around €55 billion.

EU Member States must now sign off on the programme at Ministerial level.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .