The budget of €80.9 billion for the Horizon Europe has been agreed by the EU leaders at a special European Council summit, taking place on 17-21 July 2021 in Brussels, to debate the EU’s long-term budget for 2021-2027 and a post-pandemic recovery plan. This marked a significant cutback in the budget for the R&D programme compared to a proposal of €94.4 billion by the European Commission in May.

In the end, the core programme of Horizon Europe will be allocated €75.9 billion and an additional €5 billion from the proposed €13.5 billion boost from the pandemic recovery fund. The final budget is very close to funding levels of its predecessor if the UK’s contribution is also taken into account. According to figures that exclude the UK, presented by the Commission, the EU allocated €67.06 billion to Horizon 2020 (in 2018 prices). The total budget of the programme, if Britain’s contribution from 2014 is included, is €76.26 billion.

Next the European Parliament will have a say in the negotiations of the 2021-2027 multiannual budget and it is to hope that they are more supportive of research funding. It is important to stress that the role of research and innovation in support of Europe’s recovery from the COVID-19 crisis as well as its future development should not be underestimated.

Source: European Council Council of the European Union & Science|Business