The European Commission will boost competitiveness by investing almost €16 billion in research and innovation in the next two years under Horizon 2020, the EU’s research and innovation funding scheme.

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 new funding opportunities offered by the Work Programme are directly aligned with the policy priorities of the Commission of President Jean-Claude Juncker and will substantially contribute to the Jobs, Growth and Investment Package, the Digital Single Market, Energy Union and Climate change policy, Internal Market with stronger industry and making Europe a stronger global actor.

In line with Commissioner Moedas’ strategic priorities, Horizon 2020 will be open to innovation, open to science, and open to the world. The new Work Programme 2016-17 offers funding opportunities through a range of calls for proposals, public procurements and other actions like the Horizon Prizes, together covering nearly 600 topics. The programme’s structure is a reflection of the overall flexibility of Horizon 2020 which focuses on the EU’s long-term priorities and the most pressing societal challenges while allowing it to swiftly address emerging problems such as outbreaks of diseases.

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.