Horizon 2020, the latest research and innovation program.

Horizon Europe, an ambitious €100 billion research and innovation program that will succeed Horizon 2020.

The year 2020 is running out. This marks the end of the Horizon 2020, leading to Horizon Europe, which will be EU’s biggest research and innovation program with an impressive 100-billion-euro budget that will be distributed between the 3 pillars – Open Science, Open Innovation, and Open to the World- presented in Figure 1, distributed in general lines in Figure 2, and in more detail in Figure 3.

Figure 1: Horizon Europe—the 3 pillars structure.

Figure 2: Commission proposal for budget: 100-billion-euro (2021-2027)

Figure 3: Horizon Europe budget disposal (in detail)

Europe is currently facing significant societal, ecological, and economic challenges which are aggravated by the coronavirus crisis. Research and innovation have never been so high on the political agenda. For Europe to remain competitive internationally, all economic sectors must be able to reap the benefits of the coming digital transformation. The Commission is determined to make this Europe’s “Digital Decade”.

This reveals an exciting new chapter for Optiva Media R&I. Our projects are committed to the future development of digital technologies and digital cities with special focus on AI, immersivity (XR), novel communication technologies, and blockchain with the aim to help companies improve their processes, products, and services since 2005.

The ambitious EU research and innovation framework programme (2021-2027) aims at:

To strengthen the EU’s scientific and technological bases and the European Research Area (ERA) based on excellence, competitiveness, and open science.
To boost Europe’s innovation capacity, competitiveness and job creation.
To deliver on citizens’ priorities and sustain our socioeconomic model and values.

The new ERA will contribute to CO2 reduction, fighting COVID-19, and to the digital revolution. In addition, the EC will have to synchronize with two other new initiatives – the Digital Education Action Plan and the European Education Area. The former adapts education and training systems to the digital age and the later focuses on job creation and growth.

6 Commission priorities:

A European Green Deal: Europe aims to be the first climate-neutral continent by becoming a modern, resource-efficient economy.
A Europe fit for the digital age: The EU’s digital strategy will empower people with a new generation of technologies.
An economy that works for people: The EU must create a more attractive investment environment, and growth that creates quality jobs, especially for young people and small businesses.
A stronger Europe in the world: The EU will strengthen its voice in the world by championing multilateralism and a rules-based global order.
Promoting our European way of life: Europe must protect the rule of law if it is to stand up for justice and the EU’s core values.
A new push for European democracy: We need to give Europeans a bigger say and protect our democracy from external interference such as disinformation and online hate messages.

It is crucial to address current challenges to support Europe´s recovery and to strengthen its resilience against future crises. The new wave of European Partnerships ensures long-term strategic cooperation between public and private actors. It will cover a portfolio of actions across all critical areas to impact society and policy. This seeks to stimulate economic activity, knowledge acquisition, and innovation, thereby tackling global challenges and shaping a healthier and brighter future for all.