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R&D collaboration
Focus: Gaining new skills and ideas working with universities and research and technology organisations (RTOs)
Instrument: Horizon Europe
Number of partners: 5-10
Project size: EUR 3-10 million; share of an individual partner EUR 100 000-1 million.
Funding rate: 70-100%
Project duration: 3-5 years
Eligible applicants: Companies, universities and RTOs. The project coordinator is usually a research organisation but companies can be partners
Product development
Focus: Co-creation with your customers and subcontractors
Instrument: Horizon Europe
Number of partners: 5-10
Project size: EUR 5-15 million; share of an individual partner EUR 1 million-EUR 5 million
Funding rate: 50-70%
Project duration: 3-5 years
Eligible applicants: Companies, universities and RTOs. Project coordinator is usually a partner in the middle of the value chain
Industrial scale-up
Focus: Funding for final phase of new commercial product / industrial investment
Instrument: Innovation Fund, Horizon Partnerships
Number of partners: From single applicant to 10+ partners
Project size: EUR 15-100 million; share of an individual partner EUR 10 million-EUR 100 million
Funding rate: 20-60%
Project duration: 3-5 years
Eligible applicants: Companies, universities and RTOs. Project coordinator is the investing partner
Scale-up
Focus: Development, demonstration and scaling-up of high-risk ideas
Instrument: EIC Accelerator
Number of partners: Partners not necessary, can be applied by a single applicant
Project size: EUR 3.5 million + optional equity up to EUR 15 million
Funding rate: 70%
Project duration: 1-2 years
Eligible applicants: Companies, universities and RTOs. Project coordinator is an innovative, high-growth SME
Funding programmes are linked to the EU's strategic priorities
The European Commission’s six strategic priorities for 2019 – 2024
The European Commission’s strategic priorities for 2019 – 2024 get their concrete form in EU policies, legislation and initiatives. The two priorities, European Green Deal and Digital Decade (digital strategy) have the biggest impacts on EU research and innovation policy and finally on the funding programs as such.
Green Deal
Green Deal’s target is to transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient, and competitive economy, while preserving Europe’s natural environment, tackling climate change and making Europe carbon-neutral and resource efficient by 2050. Green Deal combines economic, environmental, and social sustainability. Climate policy and climate actions for achieving climate neutrality in 2050 are imperative goals of Green Deal. Innovation Fund provides 10 billion euros of support over 2020-2030 for the commercial demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies, aiming to bring to the market industrial solutions to decarbonise Europe.
Digital Decade
Digital Decade aims to make transformation into digital age functional for people and businesses, while helping to achieve its target of a climate-neutral Europe by 2050. The idea is to strengthen Europe’s digital sovereignty and set standards, rather than following those of others. Digital Decade embraces the digital transformation by investing in businesses, research and innovation for a new generation of technologies. The focus of the strategy is on AI, cybersecurity, high performance computing and advanced connectivity.
Connection to EU projects
These two strategic priorities are intertwined into EU funding programs, like Horizon Europe and Innovation Fund. The funded projects are requested to contribute to the EU policy goals, strategic programmes, legislation and actions. This is mentioned in a call for proposals of the funding programme in question. Therefore the general understanding of the relevant EU priorities and policies is beneficial in the application process.