Horizon 2020

Horizon 2020 is the European Commission's research and innovation programme. The programme runs from 2014 to 2020 and has a budget of €70 billion.

Horizon 2020 is one of the European Union's instruments for implementing the Innovation Union , one of the seven flagship initiatives of the Europe 2020  strategy for a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy.These three mutually reinforcing priorities should help the EU and the Member States to offer more employment, productivity and social cohesion. Top-level science, competitive industry and tackling societal challenges are thus at the heart of Horizon 2020.

Horizon 2020 consists of three pillars and two specific objectives:

• Excellent Science: European Research Council (ERC); Marie Sklodowska-Curie; Future and Emerging Technologies (FET); research infrastructures.
• Industrial Leadership
• Societal Challenges, with seven main themes: health, demographic change and wellbeing ;food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine maritime and inland water research and the Bioeconomy; secure, clean and efficient energy; smart, green and integrated transport; climate action, environment resource efficiency and raw materials; Europe in a changing world - Inclusive innovative and reflective societies; secure societies – Protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens.
• Specific objective 'Spreading excellence & widening participation'
• Specific objective 'Science with and for society

The successor to Horizon 2020 will be Horizon Europe, the 9th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation of the European Union (for the period 2021-2027). Horizon Europe is presented as the most ambitious funding programme for research and innovation ever.