(13 October 2015) – The European Commission will invest almost €16 billion in research and innovation in the next two years under Horizon 2020, the EU’s research and innovation funding scheme, following a new Work Programme for 2016-17 adopted today.
The programme will support a range of cross-cutting initiatives: the modernisation of Europe’s manufacturing industry (€1 billion); technologies and standards for automatic driving (over €100 million); the Internet of Things (€139 million) to address digitalisation of EU industries; Industry 2020 in the Circular Economy (€670 million) to develop strong and sustainable economies; and Smart and Sustainable Cities (€232 million) to better integrate environmental, transport, energy and digital networks in EU’s urban environments.
The new Work Programme is also set on improving the impact of Horizon 2020 funding. First, it will ensure more money is available for innovative companies thanks to new leveraging opportunities supported by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), in addition to over €740 million dedicated to support research and innovation activities in nearly 2000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs).