The European Commission adopted the main work plan of Horizon Europe for the period 2021-2022 which contains the goals and special topic fields for which funds will be allocated in the overall amount of 14.7 billion EUR. These investments will enhance the green and digital transition, sustainable recovery from the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the resistance of the EU to future crises. It will provide scholarships to European researchers, access to training and exchanges and contribute to the development of more connected and efficient European innovative ecosystems as well as state-of-the-art research infrastructure. The programme is open to participants from all over Europe and the world and in the process will enhance the European research environment – as reported by the Commission.
More than 40 per cent of the funds, namely, a total of 5.8 billion EUR will be invested in research and innovations for the European Green Plan and in obligations for the EU to become the first climate-neutral continent by the year 2050. These funds are intended for projects aimed at promoting climate change science, solutions for decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change. Projects activities, for example, can be those that accelerate the transition to clean energy and mobility in a sustainable and just manner, assist in the accommodation of alimentary systems, support circular and bio-economy, sustain and improve the natural sinking of carbon in ecosystems and promote the adaptation to climate change.
The available funds will primarily be used for financing the digital decade of Europe and creating preconditions for the establishment of digital companies which will considerably increase the investment amounts into these companies. The Programme can include activities that promote the use of the full potential of digital tools and research and innovation based on data from the fields of health care, the media, cultural heritage and creative economy, energy, mobility and food production. Thereby the modernization of the industry is supported and the leading position of Europe in the industrial sector strengthened. For the development of fundamental digital technologies in the period, 2021-2022 subsidies in the amount of approximately four billion EUR will be allocated.
Finally, through this programme, overall investments in the amount of about 1.9 billion EUR will be channelled toward the elimination of the direct economic and social damages caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The funds will contribute, through the Next Generation EU instrument to the development of a new post-pandemic Europe which will be not only greener and more digital but more resistant to disturbances, which include the modernization of health care systems and improvement of research capacities, particular for the development of vaccines – the Commission pointed out.
