Horizon Europe's budget has been increased by more than half a billion euros to support green, health and digital innovation!

The Commission adopted an amendment to Horizon Europe's 2021-2022 Work Program increasing its budget by almost € 562 million to further support EU missions towards innovative solutions to green, health and digital challenges and more measures to promote European innovation ecosystem. The program budget for 2021 and 2022 now reaches a total of almost 16 billion euros.

Of the additional amount approved, € 507.1 million is earmarked for five EU missions, a new and innovative way to address some of our biggest challenges working with people in Europe and beyond. Launched in September 2021, they aim to achieve ambitious goals in the field of health, climate and environment by 2030. By 2030, there will be 17 new calls covering the Cancer mission, the Soil Agreement for Europe mission, the Climate Change Adaptation mission and mission Let's rebuild our oceans and waters. This includes a joint call covering the latter two missions, as well as additional measures to support all five missions, including the Cities mission.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the amendment also includes measures to support researchers who were previously active in Ukraine. Under the new MSCA4Ukraine program, part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) activities, € 25 million will enable displaced researchers to continue working in an academic or non-academic host organization in EU Member States or Horizon Europe countries. They will also be supported in re-establishing themselves in Ukraine when possible to rebuild the country's research and innovation capacity (see press release here). Hundreds of Ukrainian scientists will also be able to take advantage of an increased budget of 1 million euros for the Science Program for Human Borders for the initiative "Scientists help scientists", under Cluster 1 "Health" of Horizon Europe

Furthermore, the amendment adds several new measures to support Europe's innovation potential. As for Horizon Europe, Europe's innovation ecosystems, the WomenTechEU program will continue with a tripling of the budget - € 10 million to support more than 100 start-ups led by women this year and a new action to create and nurture angels investing in the EU - 2 million. When it comes to Group 2 "Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society", it includes support for the creation of cooperation platforms and networks for culture and creative industries - 6 million euros, social impact assessment of green transition policies - 3 million euros and innovative solutions for the future of democracy - EUR 3 million, and support to the Public Sector Innovation Observatory - EUR 1.5 million. Other minor adjustments to the work program were added for a total of 3.2m euros.The first round of upcoming calls opened on May 12, 2022, and the second on May 24, 2022. 

Budget breakdown for EU missions 2022:

• The Climate Change Adaptation Mission will invest 126.2 million euros. This includes contributing to a joint call with the mission Rebuilding Our Oceans and Waters by 2030 to create a joint demonstration of coastal resilience in the Arctic and Atlantic Sea basins. The 2022 Climate Change Adaptation Mission will support the development and testing of solutions for key areas affected by climate change.

• The Cancer Mission will invest € 129.56 million in improving and advancing primary cancer prevention, strengthening the research capacity of a comprehensive cancer infrastructure and creating clinical trials to optimize the treatment of patients with refractory cancer.

• The Reconstruction of Our Oceans and Water Mission will use a budget of € 117.9 million. This includes contributing to a joint call with the Climate Change Adaptation Mission to protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity, prevent and remove pollution from the oceans, seas and waters, and create a sustainable, carbon neutral and circular blue economy.

• Mission A The Soil Agreement for Europe will use the € 95 million budget to create, among other things, a new repository of mission knowledge, research into the role of soil biodiversity in ecosystem services, identify land decontamination and reuse strategies.Measures to support the Mission for Climate Neutral and Smart Cities, with a budget of € 119.37 million in 2022, are already included in the amendment to the Work Program adopted in December 2021. is for almost 6.25 million euros to provide additional support to the cities selected to join the mission. 

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Source: European Commission