DIGITALEUROPE supports the EU’s strong commitment to Research & Innovation on digital issues

The InvestEU fund will also allocate €11.25 billion in loans to R&I and digitisation investments, with 3.5 billion earmarked towards Horizon Europe.

This new budget for research shows a substantial increase from its predecessor Horizon 2020, especially as it has been drafted without the financial participation of the United Kingdom. This increased funding, if combined with simplified procedures and reduced administrative burden, should ensure strong industry participation and make Horizon Europe a success.

“This budget proposal is a step in the right direction to continue the much-needed digitalisation of Europe,but we must remember that Horizon 2020 suffered a 12% budget drop from the Commission’s proposal in 2011 to the version adopted in 2013 (from €80 billion to 70.2, in 2011 constant prices). DIGITALEUROPE urges the EU co-legislators, the Council and the European Parliament, to safeguard – or even to increase – the proposed budgets during the upcoming negotiations on the overall EU multi-annual financialframework (MFF)”, stressed Bonefeld-Dahl.