REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Annual Report on Research and Technological Development Activities of the European Union and Monitoring of Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020 in 2022
Date: 2023-05-31
Institutions: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission
Subjects: EAEC, EU programme, EU research policy, Framework Programme for Research and Development, activity report, innovation, nuclear research, research and development, technological change

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 31.5.2023  COM(2023) 277 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Annual Report on Research and Technological Development Activities of the European Union and Monitoring of Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020 in 2022  
 
 
1. 

BACKGROUND 

This report provides a non-exhaustive overview of the EU’s key research and innovation 
(R&I)  activities  in  2022  and  the  monitoring  of  Horizon  Europe,  Horizon  2020  and  the 
Euratom Programme. 

It  was  drafted  in  accordance  with  Article  190  of  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the 
European Union and Article 7 of the Euratom Treaty, in conjunction with Article 50 of 
the Horizon Europe Framework Programme for Research and Innovation and Article 12 
of  the  Council  Regulation  (Euratom)  2021/765  establishing  the  Research  and  Training 
Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community.  

2. 

POLITICAL CONTEXT AND POLICY DEVELOPMENTS 

In 2022, Russia’s war against Ukraine marked a historical break, breaching international 
law and undermining European and global security. By doing so, Russia also violated the 
core  values  and  principles  of  international  cooperation  on  R&I,  as  set  out  in  the 
Communication on a Global Approach to Research and Innovation.  

The war has had immense consequences for the EU and its R&I landscape, in particular 
for scientific collaboration with  Ukraine and Russia,  but  also  for energy supply,  secure 
supply chains and migration. 

2.1. 

Ukraine 

The Commission imposed sanctions against Russia in the field of R&I1. Concretely it: 

  stopped cooperation projects in R&I and terminated participations from Russian 
public  entities  in  the  EU  R&I  programmes  and  ensured  a  coordinated 
implementation of the sanctions through guidance and monitoring; 

 

launched  dedicated  actions  to  support  the  Ukrainian  research  and  scientific 
community,  including  the  ERA4Ukraine  portal  in  March  2022,  to  support 
Ukrainian  researchers;  a  Marie  Skłodowska-Curie  action  (MSCA)  4Ukraine 
scheme  in  October  2022  with  a  budget  of  EUR  25  million  to  support  displaced 
researchers  from  Ukraine;  a  call  under  the  European  Innovation  Council  with 
EUR 20 million to support Ukrainian innovative enterprises. 

  published  the  REPowerEU  Plan  in  May  2022,  which  aims  to  make  Europe 
independent  of  Russian  fossil  fuels  by  accelerating  the  EU’s  clean  energy 
transition; 

 

launched  a  new  topic  under  the  Euratom  programme  with  a  budget  of 
EUR 10 million  on  the  Safety  of  alternative  nuclear  fuel  for  VVER  reactors,  to 

1 See also COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) No 833/2014 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
ensure  the  continued  operation  of  these  reactors,  which  were  built  in  the  Soviet 
Union. 

2.2. 

Green and digital transition 

Both,  Russia’s  war  against  Ukraine  and  the  increased  frequency  of  climate-related 
extreme events have made it even more urgent for the EU to transition to a fair green and 
digital society. 

As part of the REPowerEU Plan, the Commission published the Communication on the 
EU solar strategy and identified how R&I can help deliver on technologies such as wind, 
heat pumps, biomethane, hydrogen and in general the reduction of materials consumption 
and  recyclability  of  renewable  energy  equipment.  The  Communication  on  the 
Digitisation of the Energy Systems underlined the need to expand R&I activities.  

The  7th  report  on  the  state  of  the  Energy  Union  (October  2022)  noted  the  need  to 
increase R&I investments to stay at the forefront of clean energy research. 

A  staff  working  document  on  the  role  of  EU  research  and  innovation  investments  to 
deliver on the EU’s Hydrogen Strategy (January 2022) showcased the project results in 
this area and underlined the need for skills development on hydrogen. 

The  New  European  Innovation  Agenda,  adopted  in  July  2022,  highlighted  deep-tech 
innovation as indispensable to achieve the objectives of the green and digital transition.  

In  October  2022,  the  Commission  published  the  strategic  research  and  innovation  plan 
for  safe  and  sustainable  chemicals  and  materials  inviting  stakeholders  and  research 
funders to use it as a guidance document. In addition, the Commission proposed creating 
a European framework for ‘safe and sustainable by design’ chemicals and materials for 
R&I activities in December 2022, launching a two-year testing phase of the framework.  

The  Circular  Economy  Package  II  (November  2022)  built  on  the  results  of  EU  R&I 
projects  relating  to  the  circular  plastics  economy,  sustainable  packaging  and  carbon 
removal  and  storage  (sustainable  products,  textiles,  construction  materials,  packaging, 
plastics). 

The  Joint  Communication  on  International  Ocean  Governance  (June  2022)  identified 
research to support evidence-based action to protect and sustainably manage the ocean.  

Towards  a  strong  and  sustainable  EU  algae  sector  (November  2022)  promoted  further 
research  on  a  resource  that  can  be  used  –  with  a  limited  carbon  and  environmental 
footprint  –  to  produce  food,  pharmaceuticals,  cosmetics,  bioplastics  and  plant 
biostimulants. 

The  Council  adopted  a  Recommendation  on  ensuring  a  fair  transition  towards  climate 
neutrality  (June  2022),  in  which  Member  States  commit  to  put  in  place  comprehensive 
policy packages to  ensure the green transition  is  fair.  It  recommended  a strong role for 
R&I in creating a sound knowledge base for policy making. 

The  European  Parliament  and  Council  adopted  the  Digital  Decade  Policy  Programme 
2030  (December  2022).  The  Policy  Programme  sets  out  digital  targets  that  the  EU  is 

2 

 
 
aiming to achieve by 2030 and a cooperation mechanism between the Commission and 
the Member States that also provides a framework for developing multi-country projects 
that  no  single  Member  State  can  develop  alone  (e.g.  in  European  common  data 
infrastructure and services’and secure quantum communication). 

In June, the Commission launched a dialogue with Member States on the Collaborative 
Cloud  for  Cultural  Heritage  to  help  safeguard  European  cultural  treasures  through  a 
digital infrastructure, building on an experts report and a stakeholder consultation. 

2.3. 

Economy & industry 

The  European  Chips  Act  was  proposed  to  help  build  up  the  EU’s  semiconductor 
ecosystem, in particular by strengthening the EU’s research and technological leadership, 
and its capacity to innovate design, manufacturing and packaging of advanced chips. 

The  aggression  of  Russia  in  Ukraine  underlined  the  urgent  need  to  foster  geographical 
independence for critical space technologies. 2022 saw the proposal of the Commission 
for  a  Union  Secure  Connectivity  Programme,  to  be  achieved  through  a  third  satellite 
constellation for secure telecommunications.  

The uptake of human-centred, resilient and sustainable ‘Industry 5.0’ has gained further 
traction. This was confirmed by the high-level roundtable with industry leaders in April 
2022 and by the first Industry of the Future Award, highlighting EU-funded R&I projects 
on ‘Industry 5.0’. 

2.4. 

Security 

Over  the  past  years,  the  threat  environment  has  evolved  in  significant  ways. 
Cybersecurity attacks have continued to increase in scale and form and the impact of the 
war in Ukraine has been felt on the EU’s internal security, leading to increased risks of 
organised  crime  activities  as  well  as  human  and  drug  trafficking.  Increasing  extreme 
weather events, including drought, heat waves and wildfires, brought to the fore the need 
for civilian protection, societal resilience and capacity to react to crises, including against 
chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive incidents and natural events. 

R&I contributed significantly to addressing the fast-evolving threat landscape as regards 
the  protection  in  the  EU  of  critical  infrastructure  with  cross-border  relevance.  Member 
States  were  encouraged  by  the  Council  Recommendation  on  a  Union-wide  coordinated 
approach  to  strengthen  the  resilience  of  critical  infrastructure  to  make  best  use  of  the 
results of R&I projects, in particular for stress tests and scenario planning. 

The resilience of entities that provide services that are crucial for the maintenance of vital 
societal  functions  is  being  strenghtened by  the  Critical  Entities Resilience Directive,  as 
its implementation will be supported by R&I. 

The role of research under Horizon Europe in making our digital infrastructure safer and 
in  building  capacity  to  prevent  and  mitigate  cyberattacks,  as  well  as  in  supporting  law 
enforcement  with  new  technologies  (such  as  artificial  intelligence)  was  highlighted  by 
the fifth Progress Report on the EU Security Union Strategy. 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
The Community for European Research and Innovation for Security expert group started 
work,  including  four  sub-groups  one  of  them  on  ‘strengthening  security  research  and 
innovation’. 

The  work  started  by  the  European  Food  Security  Crisis  preparedness  and  response 
mechanism highlighted the relevance of R&I in production diversification process. 

2.5. 

COVID-19 pandemic 

Although  the  pandemic  moved  into  the  endemic  phase  in  2022,  research  activities 
remained a high priority in order to tackle the disease and its consequences. 

The  European  COVID-19  Data  Platform  continued  to  grow,  currently  holding  over 
11 million  records  of  diverse  data  types,  including  over  6.4  million  viral  genomes 
recorded by 112 countries.  

The communication on COVID-19 - Sustaining EU Preparedness and Response: Looking 
ahead  (April  2022)  tackled  the  need  to  develop  the  next  generation  of  vaccines  under 
Horizon Europe. 

2.6. 

Partnership with Member States 

In 2022, all recovery and resilience plans except for Hungary’s plan have been approved. 
The plans are R&I-rich, with a volume of EUR 47.4 billion in R&I. At this stage, out of 
the  608  R&I-related  targets  set,  98  have  been  completed  and  36  have  already  been 
assessed as met.  

The enhanced dialogues as a new approach to support Member States in implementing a 
common R&I policy agenda, has been piloted in five Member States.  

The  European  Research  Area  (ERA)  Forum,  bringing  together  Member  States, 
stakeholders and associated countries, was created in 2022 to coordinate implementation 
of the 20 ERA Policy Agenda actions. These include researchers’ careers, open science, 
research  assessment  and  infrastructures.  In  December  2022,  the  Council  adopted  the 
recommendation  on  the  guiding  principles  for  knowledge  valorisation  to  increase  the 
socioeconomic impact from R&I. 

In  November  2022,  the  Commission  published  a  guidance  note  on  ‘Synergies  between 
Horizon Europe and European regional development fund programmes’, which outlines 
opportunities for synergies available to the programme managing authorities. 

2.7. 

International aspects 

The  Global  Approach  to  R&I  strategy  remained  the  backbone  of  international  R&I 
cooperation  in  2022.  This  approach  strikes  a  balance  between  openness  and  promoting 
reciprocity  underpinned  by  fundamental  values  and  common  framework  conditions.  In 
April 2022, the European Parliament supported the strategy in a resolution. 

4 

 
 
 
 
The  Commission  strengthened  R&I  cooperation  with  Africa  by  developing  the  African 
Union  -  EU  Innovation  Agenda.  Cooperation  activities  with  countries  in  the  South 
Mediterranean received a boost with the adoption of a Ministerial Declaration at the first 
Union for the Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on R&I (June 2022).  

Discussions on the EU-China joint roadmap for cooperation in science, technology and 
innovation  continued  with  slow  progress  due  to  China’s  reluctance  to  engage  in 
innovation activities. With the United States new actions were agreed in the EU-US Joint 
Consultative Group and the EU-US Trade and Technology Council. 

The  Commission  supported  the  Intergovernmental  Panel  on  Climate  Change  and  the 
Intergovernmental  Science-Policy  Platform  for  Biodiversity  and  Ecosystem  Services 
with science and policy options. 

In 2022, the Commission held a series of dialogues on sustainability in agriculture with 
Canada, the United States and Latin America and the Caribbean to identify R&I needs to 
tackle  common  challenges  such  as  greenhouse  gas  emissions  from  livestock  or  soil 
health. 

The MSCAdvocacy project was launched in June 2022 to foster cooperation with the 20 
international partner countries and six regions.  

2.8. 

Direct  actions 
Commission 

implemented  by  the  Joint  Research  Centre  of  the 

The  Joint  Research  Centre  (JRC)  supported  numerous  Commission  initiatives  by 
providing  scientific  analyses,  in  particular  in  response  to  Russia’s  war  against  Ukraine 
such  as  energy  pricing,  the  general  macroeconomic  situation,  short-  and  long-term 
scenarios for energy supply and the risks related to the Russian occupation of the nuclear 
sites of Tchernobiyl  and Zaporozhye. The JRC also  analysed the drivers affecting food 
security. In addition, the 2022 Strategic Foresight Report focused on ‘twinning the green 
and digital transitions in the new geopolitical context’. To help achieve the goal set out in 
the  EU  Green  Deal,  JRC  created  the  EU  Blue  Economy  Observatory,  a  knowledge 
dissemination platform to foster sustainability of our oceans, seas  and coastal areas. To 
help implement the New European Bauhaus projects, the JRC launched the NEB Lab. 

5 

 
 
3. 

IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING OF HORIZON EUROPE, HORIZON 2020 & 
EURATOM 

3.1. 

Horizon Europe in 2022 – Highlights & new features 

In  May  2022,  the  Commission  adopted  an  amendment  to  the  ‘main’  Horizon  Europe 
work programme 2021-2022, which fully rolled out actions for EU missions in 2022.  

During the R&I Days 2022, the Commission launched the process for the next Horizon 
Europe strategic plan 2025-2027. 

In  December  2022,  the  Commission  adopted  the  ‘main’  Horizon  Europe  work 
programme  2023-2024,  which  made  available  around  EUR  13.5  billion  for  R&I  to 
accelerate  a  fair  green  and  digital  transition,  increase  Europe’s  energy  resilience,  and 
contribute to a sustainable recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. It also included 
actions to address the geopolitical situation with targeted support for Ukraine. 

International cooperation & association 

Topics encouraging international  cooperation  increased  from approximately  20% in  the 
2021-2022 work programme to approximately 22% in the currently implemented 2023-
2024 work programme.  

The Horizon Europe Regulation Article 22(5), which allows restriction of participation in 
order to safeguard EU strategic assets, interests, autonomy or security in certain sensitive 
areas,  was  applied  to  49  topics  in  the  Horizon  Europe  work  programme  2021-2022 
representing  around  4%  of  that  work  programme’s  budget  (around  2%  of  the  overall 
2021-2022 Horizon Europe operational budget). 

The eligibility criterion that obliges all public bodies, research organisations and higher 
education  bodies  in  Member  States  and  associated  countries  to  have  a  gender  equality 
plan in place to be eligible for funding, has entered into effect in 2022.  

By the end of 2022, 16 third countries were associated to Horizon Europe. Negotiations 
have been finalised with New Zealand and launched with Canada. Both are expected to 
become associated in 2023. Exploratory talks with Japan and South Korea were initiated.  

6 

 
 
 
 
 
3.2. 

Horizon Europe Monitoring data 

Calls and Topics  

Source: Call Passport System (CPS) data extraction of 19/01/2023 

In 2022, 44 new calls for proposals covering a total of 202 topics were launched under 
the  Horizon  Europe  main  work  programme  2021-2022.  Overall,  874  topics  under  160 
calls  for  proposals  as  well  as  an  additional  195  other  actions  were  launched  under  the 
work programme 2021-2022 for a budget of around EUR 16 billion.  

In addition, the European Research Council (ERC) launched 7 calls under the ‘excellent 
science’ pillar in its work programme 2022 for a total budget of EUR 2 427 million.  

The European  Innovation Council (EIC) launched four calls  for proposals for the three 
key  instruments  (two  pathfinder,  transition  and  accelerator  calls  with  multiple  cutoff 
dates) and 13 other actions for a total budget of EUR 1 711.42 million.  

The topics launched under the Horizon Europe main work programme were designed to 
attract  projects  that  will  help  achieve  the  Commission’s  overarching  political  priorities 
for 2019-2024. A more precise contribution to each policy priority will be known when 
beneficiaries will have reported on the projects’ results. 

A European Green Deal

A Europe fit for the digital age

An economy that works for people

Promoting our European way of life

A push for European Democracy

A stronger Europe in the world

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Fig 1: Percentage of topics of Horizon Europe main Work Programme 2021-2022 addressing the Commission’s priorities. 

Research and innovation play  a  central  role in  accelerating  the  green transition.  So far, 
34%  and  7.3% of  Horizon  Europe  spending3 have  been allocated  to  address  climate 
change and biodiversity, respectively. 

2 EIC budget programmed in the EIC Work Programme 2022 
3 Source: Preliminary Commission data for 2021 and 2022 

7 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
Proposals submitted and success rates 

Source: Horizon Dashboard frozen data on 30/12/2022 

A  total  of  44 832  eligible  proposals  were  submitted  under  the  calls  closed  and  fully 
evaluated  by  the  end  of  2022.  54%  were  assessed  by  external  experts  as  being  of  high 
quality as they reached the minimum score threshold. 7 108 proposals were selected for 
funding, amounting to total requested funding of EUR 20.5 billion.   

Fig. 2: Eligible and selected proposals 

So far, the success rate of proposals4 is higher for Horizon Europe  (15.9%) than it was 
for  Horizon  2020  (11.9%).  71%  of  the  high  quality  proposals  are  still  not  receiving 
funding with 10.6% likely to as they were put on a reserve list. An additional amount of 
approximatively  EUR 34.4 billion  would  have  been  needed  to  fund  all  high  quality 
proposals.  

Grants signed 

Source: Horizon Dashboard frozen on 30/12/2022 

Following the evaluation of the proposals, EUR 16.3 billion have already been awarded 
through 5 509 signed grants. However, many grants are still under preparation as 7 108 
proposals have been selected for funding. 

The  average  grant  size  is  EUR  3  million,  higher  than  the  average  under  Horizon  2020 
(EUR 2.3 million5).  Average  EU  funding  allocated  to  mono-beneficiary  grants  (43%  of 
the  grants)  is  around  EUR  1.3  million  while  it  is  around  EUR  4.2  million  for 
collaborative grants (57% of the grants). Collaborative grants involve 12 participants on 
average. 

4 The success rate of proposals is the percentage of eligible proposals selected out of all eligible proposals  

5Average grant size for H2020 - excluding the 4 234 SME instrument phase 1 small grants of 50.000 EUR that would have distorted 
the overall figure. When included, average grant size drops to EUR 1.9 million 

8 

 
 
 
                                                 
Programme part 

Eligible 
proposals 

Selected 
proposals 

Success rate 
of proposals 
(% of 
eligible) 

EU contribution 
requested in 
selected 
proposals (in 
EUR million) 

Signed 
grants 

EU 
contribution 
in signed 
grants (in 
EUR million) 

Average 
grant 
size  
(in EUR 
million) 

Pillar 1 - Excellent Science 

European Research Council  

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions  

Research infrastructures 

14 814 

16 672 

139 

1 769 

2 692 

74 

Pillar II - Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness 

11.9% 

16.1% 

53.2% 

22.0% 

12.9% 

16.3% 

20.6% 

24.1% 

2 906 

1 093 

512 

2 291 

444 

229 

3 606 

4 434 

1 398 

1 532 

73 

187 

139 

54 

556 

427 

2 271 

859 

506 

1 575 

405 

229 

3 290 

3 506 

1.6 

0.6 

6.9 

8,4 

2.9 

4.2 

5.9 

8.2 

1 307 

1 120 

313 

2 736 

2 121 

288 

144 

51 

564 

511 

1 492 

388 

26.0% 

2 341 

308 

1 766 

5.7 

2 549 

569 

225 

93 

8.8% 

16.3% 

691 

465 

1 171 

105 

91 

103 

2.5 

1.1 

20 

17 

85.0% 

1 103 

N/A 

N/A 

Cluster 1 

Cluster 2 

Cluster 3  

Cluster 4  

Cluster 5  

Cluster 6  

Pillar III – Innovative Europe 

The European Innovation 
Council* 

European innovation ecosystems 

The European Institute of 
Innovation and Technology  

Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area 

Widening participation and 
spreading excellence 

Reforming and enhancing the 
European R&I System 

Total for Horizon Europe 

831 

241 

29.0% 

666 

230 

488 

2.1 

149 

44 832 

51 

7 108 

34.2% 

15.9% 

125 

49 

110 

20 546 

5 509 

16 279 

2.2 

3.0 

* EIC accelerator proposals data was not available at the date of this analysis   
Table 1: Proposals and grants per programme part 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Applicants and participants  

Source: Horizon Dashboard frozen on 30/12/2022 

Member  States  account  for  81.8%  of  the  eligible  applications  submitted;  18.8%  came 
from organisations based in widening countries.  

Associated  countries  submitted  5.7%  of  all  applications  and  third  countries  submitted 
12.5% of applications, over 50% of which came from UK6-based organisations.  

 Country group 

Applications in 
eligible proposals 

% of total 
number of 
applications 

Success 
rate of 
app-
lication 

Parti-
cipation 
in signed 
grants 

% of all 
parti-
cipations 

EU 
contribution in 
signed grants 
(EUR million) 

% of total 
EU 
contribution 
in signed 
grants 

Member States 

167 859 

81.8% 

21.9% 

32 954 

84.3% 

14 989 

92.1% 

Widening Countries 

Other Member States 

38 583 

129 276 

18.8% 

63.0% 

19.9% 

6 876 

17.6% 

22.6% 

26 078 

66.7% 

2 221 

12 768 

13.6% 

78.4% 

Associated countries 

11 794 

5.7% 

19.6% 

2 090 

5.3% 

1 091 

6.7% 

1.2% 

25 471 

12.5% 

21.2% 

4 035 

10.3% 

200 

205 124 

100% 

21.7%  

39 079 

100% 

16 279 

100% 

Non-associated third 
countries 

TOTAL 
Table 2: Applicants origin 

The first projects signed involve over 39 000 participants from 142 different countries, 
including 19%  of small and medium-sized enterprises  (SMEs)  and 15.7% from non-
EU countries. The highest shares of participants come from higher education institutions 
(32.7%),  private  sector  entities  (30.7%)  and  research  organisations  (22.6%).  A 
preliminary analysis shows that 35.6% of participants are new applicants.  

Overall,  widening  countries  were  allocated  EUR 2.2 billion  (13.6%)  of  the  Horizon 
Europe  funds  through  signed  grants.  Other  Member  States  received  EUR  12.8  billion, 
associated  countries  over  EUR 1 billion  and  non-associated 
third  countries 
EUR 200 million. SMEs were allocated 18% of the total budget (EUR 2.86 billion). 

6 Following Brexit, UK is not longer a Member State but a third country for whose entities there are transitional arrangements  

10 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Focus on European partnerships  

Source: Performance of European Partnerships report 

Under the first strategic plan 2021-2024, 49 partnerships were identified, of which 37 had 
been launched by May 2022.  

Fig.3: European partnerships 

11 

 
 
 
Partnerships  will  be  financed  with  estimated  commitments  of  EUR  31.4  billion  from 
partners other than the EU (EUR 9 billion from Member States and associated countries 
and EUR 22.4 billion from industry) and an estimated commitment of EUR 23.8 billion 
from  Horizon Europe. This  represents 37.7% of  Horizon Europe  pillar  II budget  and  is 
distributed as follows: 

Fig. 4: Budgetary commitments per cluster of activities 

Focus on EU missions 

Source: Horizon Dashboard frozen on 30/12/2022 

By the end of 2022, 25 Horizon Europe mission calls had been launched, closed and fully 
evaluated.  They  had  attracted  8  167  eligible  research  &  innovation  proposals  of  which 
137 were selected for funding for a total of EUR 1 046 million of EU funding requested. 

12 

 
 
 
 
71  grants  involving  1  525  participants  had  already  been  signed  for  a  total  amount  of 
EUR 567 million split7 as follows across the five missions:  

Fig. 5: Signed grants, participation and EU contribution per mission 

Focus on the European Institut of Innovation and Technology (EIT)  

During 2021-20228: 

  2 320 people graduated from European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) 

labelled master and doctoral programmes; 

  76  start-ups  were  created  by  students  from  EIT  programmes  and  203  start-ups  as  a 

result of EIT innovation projects; 

  2 425 start-ups received support from EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities 

(KICs); 

  607 innovative products or services were put on the market by the EIT KICs. 

3.3. In-depth analysis: Horizon Europe monitoring flashes and other studies 

Newcomers in EU R&I programmes 

A  new  monitoring  flash  looks  at  newcomers  in  EU  R&I  programmes.  Mostly 
retrospective  on  participation  in  Horizon  2020,  it  shows  that  69.2%  of  its  successful 

7 Figures for horizontal or joint projects between missions are split equally between the missions to which those projects contribute 
which explains the non-rounded figures for projects. 

8 Targeted achievements  

13 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
applicants did not participate in the previous seventh framework programme. Newcomers 
received  EUR  12.9  billion,  around  half  of  which  went  to  SMEs  (EUR 6.1 billion).  The 
the  same  direction. 
first  figures  on  newcomers 

in  Horizon  Europe  point 

in 

14 

 
Update on evaluation studies 

A series of evaluation studies are under way as part of the ex-post evaluation of Horizon 
2020, while also preparing the ground for the interim evaluation of Horizon Europe. In 
2022,  the  Commission  published  the  Evaluation  study  on  the  European  Innovation 
Council (EIC) pilot and launched the largest public consultation - on the past, present & 
future of European research and innovation programmes 2014-2027. 

3.4. Horizon 2020 

Under  Horizon  2020,  in  total  35  426  grant  agreements  were  signed  for  a  total  budget 
allocation of EUR 68.32 billion. Projects under the Societal challenges pillar received the 
biggest  share  (38.6%),  followed  by  the  Excellent  Science  pillar  (36.6%)  and  the 
Industrial leadership pillar (20.2%).  

A total of 41 575 different organisations benefitted from Horizon 2020. Higher education 
institutions  received  39.5%  (EUR  26.9  billion),  followed  by  private-sector  entities 
(28.2% or EUR 19.3 billion) and research organisations (25% or EUR 17 billion).     

By end of 2022,  41% of the  Horizon 2020-funded projects  were still ongoing. Projects 
have  generated  more  than  197  000  peer-reviewed  publications,  around  3  200  patents 
applications and 2 300 patent awards. 

3.5. 

Dissemination and exploitation 

Numerous  activities  during  the Research  and  Innovation  Days  in  September  2022 
promoted the dissemination of Horizon Europe results.  

The relevant dissemenination tools - Horizon Results platform, Horizon Results Booster, 
CORDIS,  Horizon  Dashboard,  European  data  for  research  and  innovation  policy 
initiative,  the  EU  Innovation  Radar  and  the  H2020-Interreg  synergies  mapping  tool  - 
continued  to  provide  exploitable  results  from  the  framework  programmes  and  made 
available rich data on innovative results of EU and national R&I funding. 

Under the Horizon Europe dissemination and exploitation strategy, the Commission has 
implemented an action plan for 2021-2022. This focusses on providing internal guidance, 
support services to beneficiaries, improving networking and synergies and mapping and 
valorising results. 

In  2022,  the  Horizon  Standardisation  Booster  was  launched  to  boost  the  European 
Standardisation dialogue between Horizon Europe projects with corresponding Standards 
Developing  Organisations  and  to  increase  the  European  impact  on  international 
standardisation.  

Below are some examples of activities to boost the dissemination and use of results from 
the framework programmes in thematic areas: 

 

the  Commission  awarded  the  2022  Security  Innovation  Award,  which  rewards 
excellency in great examples showing the uptake of security research; 

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 

current  and closed projects  are promoted by the newly established Community 
of European Research and Innovation for Security; 

  EIP-AGRI boosts the uptake of R&I results by agricultural policy beneficiaries 

and ensures that it reaches farmers, foresters and rural actors; 

 

the  Blue  Invest  initiative  provided  assistance  and  access  to  investment  for 
maritime  start-ups  and  SMEs,  many  of  which  had  developed  services  and 
products in previous framework programmes; 

  CORDIS  disseminated  results  from  EU  funded  R&I  projects,  attributed 
persistent  identifiers  to  them  and  classified  them  according  to  their  scientific 
fields.  

3.6. 

Implementation and monitoring of the Euratom Programme 2021-2025 

a)  Nuclear direct actions implemented by the JRC 

The  JRC  implemented  direct  actions  under  the  Euratom  programme  allocating  the 
available resources with the following estimated breakdown9: 

  20% to safety on nuclear reactors and fuels,  

  10% on radioactive waste and spent fuel management,  

  32% to nuclear safeguards and security,  

  10% to nuclear reference materials and data,  

  9% to non-power applications and radioprotection, 

  11% to the Euratom objective to maintain competences in the EU,  

  8% to provide direct support to EU policies. 

JRC  opened  the  access  of  external  users  to  JRC  facilities;  the  call  launched  in  2022 
encourages Ukrainian scientists to participate. 

The JRC participated in 18 granted projects (related to the safety of nuclear systems) of 
the last call for indirect actions of the Euratom programme.  

b)  Indirect actions of the Euratom Research & Training Programme (grants) 

In 2022, the Commission awarded 28 grants for a total amount of EUR 117 million for 
research  projects  in  nuclear  safety,  radiation  protection  and  non-power  applications  of 
nuclear  technologies.  In  March  2022,  Commissioner  Mariya  Gabriel  convened  the 

9 Source: JRC mission statement & work programme 

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Second  High-Level  Nuclear  Roundtable  to  discuss  future  of  research  in  small  modular 
reactors and medical applications using nuclear technologies. 

4. 

OUTLOOK 2023 

In 2023, the next Horizon Europe strategic plan 2025-2027 will be drafted. The adoption 
is planned for the 1st quarter of 2024. It sets out the R&I priorities for the second period 
of Horizon Europe. 

The Commission will continue to support implementation of the REPowerEU Plan and to 
accelerate work to meet the aims of the European Green Deal through EU R&I actions.  

The  Commission  will  carry  out  communication  activities  on  Horizon  Europe,  for 
instance by: 

  promoting  the  results  of  the  public  consultation  and  the  preparation  of  the 

strategic plan 2025-2027; 

  promoting the EU missions and partnerships; 

  citizens’ engagement through communication initiatives, such as the 34th edition 

of the EU Contest for Young Scientists (September 2023 in Brussels); 

 

initiating the public debate on the future of R&I in Europe during the R&I Days 
to take place at the end of October 2023. 

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