COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Ex-post evaluation of Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation
Date: 2024-01-29
Institutions: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, EU research policy, Framework Programme for Research and Development, economic consequence, innovation, research and development, research expenditure (EU), scientific cooperation, social impact, sustainable development

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 29.1.2024  SWD(2024) 30 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION  Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Ex-post evaluation of Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation {COM(2024) 49 final} - {SEC(2024) 52 final} - {SWD(2024) 29 final}  
 
 
This summary presents the main findings of the final evaluation of Horizon 2020 - the EU’s 
eighth research and innovation funding programme, with a budget of EUR 75.6 billion for the 
period  2014-2020.  The  core  mission  of  the  programme  was  to  drive  economic  growth  and 
create jobs through research and innovation (R&I) with a strong emphasis on excellent science, 
industrial leadership and tackling societal challenges.  

This evaluation looks into the impacts of Horizon 2020 until 2023, building also on lessons 
from its predecessor FP7 and the interim evaluation performed in 2017. The evaluation also 
assesses  the  efficiency  of  the  programme,  its  coherence  with  other  initiatives,  relevance  to 
societal needs and the overall added value it brings to the EU. As 41% of Horizon 2020 projects 
were still running at the time of the final evaluation, the programme’s impacts are still evolving 
and  will  continue  to  yield  results  for  the  years  to  come.  This  makes  any  monitoring  or 
assessment  exercise  particularly  challenging.  This  evaluation  is  thus  underpinned  by  an 
extensive body of evidence, with over 1000 interviews, surveys of successful and unsuccessful 
applicants and a mix of quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods. It also builds on a large 
open public consultation with close to 2000 replies. 

The analysis shows that the programme garnered immense interest, attracting over one million 
individual applications from 177 countries. It funded almost 35 000 projects involving 40 000 
organisations. Overall, an additional EUR 159 billion would have been needed to fund all 
the high-quality proposals submitted. 

Scientific impact 

Horizon 2020 was strategically designed to strengthen Europe’s scientific and technological 
bedrock by investing in knowledge, skills and infrastructure. These long-term investments are 
critical for the EU’s current and future ability to lead, react or adapt to dynamic changes in 
scientific and technological advancement and the ever-changing socio-economic environment. 

The programme outperformed its predecessor (FP7) on scientific output, as evidenced by the 
number of scientific publications, which are cited twice as often as the global average, and 
4% of which are the most cited worldwide. Horizon 2020 made substantial contributions to 
scientific breakthroughs and advancements in nascent domains of science and technology, 
particularly  in  medical  sciences,  quantum  mechanics,  chemical  engineering  and  composite 
materials. Funding for transnational R&I projects enabled significant collaborations that might 
not have been possible otherwise. More than a quarter of the publications are linked to new, 
rapidly evolving research areas. The programme played a key role in fostering world-class 
scientific excellence: 33 Nobel Prize winners were supported either before or after they were 
honoured. 

The  programme  also  had  a  profound  impact  on  knowledge  circulation,  with  82%  of  its 
publications being freely and publicly available online, demonstrating a strong commitment to 
open  access.  Horizon  2020  was  also  pivotal  in  diversifying  and  enhancing  researchers’ 
skills  and  knowledge.  It  also  improved  their  career  prospects,  particularly  benefiting 
early-career researchers. Nearly 50 000 researchers were supported in cross-sector and cross-
country mobility. In addition, the programme enabled the EU to develop and upgrade large-
scale research infrastructure at both European and global level: over 24 000 researchers and 
organisations gained access to these infrastructures, expanding opportunities for collaborative 
work and scientific advancements. These are noteworthy achievements, though the evaluation 
suggests  that  greater  synergies  could  be  made  between  EU,  national  and  regional 
programmes for research infrastructure, in particular to ensure their operations are sustainable. 

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Societal impact 

Horizon  2020  bolstered  research  and  innovation  efforts  aimed  at  tackling  key  societal 
challenges,  including  health,  food  security,  energy,  transport,  environmental  sustainability, 
climate action, inclusive societies and security.  

Particularly noteworthy is Horizon 2020’s crucial role in advancing our understanding of 
climate  change.  Its  investments,  building  on  the  foundations  laid  by  the  predecessor 
programme  FP7,  have  been  influential,  with  10%  of  the  scientific  publications  cited  by  the 
Intergovernmental  Panel  on  Climate  Change  originating  from  these  two  programmes.  With 
32%  of  its  funding  allocated  to  climate  action  Horizon  2020  has  also  been  instrumental  in 
supporting the development of practical solutions. A prime example is the progress made in 
alternative  and  low-emission  fuels.  The  programme  also  demonstrated  adaptability  in 
responding to emerging health crises. It responded promptly by launching specific calls for 
proposals during the Ebola and Zika epidemics, and even greater agility in responding to the 
COVID-19  pandemic.  Horizon  2020  and  FP7  are  recognised  as  the  third  most  frequently 
acknowledged funding sources for COVID-19 related research in the world. The programme 
also  funded  research  to  gain  a  deeper  understanding  of  rare  diseases  and  fostered  the 
development of related therapies, contributing to advancements in personalised medicine and 
patient care.  

By improving fishing methods and reducing discards, Horizon 2020 has contributed to more 
sustainable fishing practices, balancing economic interests with environmental conservation. 
The programme supported the development of a  smart European electricity grid, funding 
projects that focus on automation, energy storage integration and the adoption of renewable 
energy sources to aid the transition to a more sustainable energy system. Horizon 2020 played 
a role in improving urban transport by supporting sustainable urban mobility plans, including 
well-designed parking measures and cycling infrastructure to help improve urban liveability 
and  sustainability.  The  programme  supported  the  development  of  solution  addressing  the 
human aspects of digital transformation, such as the development of safe and user-friendly 
robotics. It improved the accessibility and inclusiveness of cultural spaces, enriching cultural 
heritage experiences and giving access to a broader audience. The programme helped make 
Europe  more  secure  by  supporting  crime  prevention  and  counter  terrorism  initiatives, 
improving border surveillance and improving disaster resilience.  

Showing commitment to interdisciplinary research, Horizon 2020 significantly raised the role 
of social sciences and humanities disciplines i.e. sociology, economics, psychology, political 
science,  history  and  cultural  sciences,  allocating  over  20%  of  its  budget  to  related  topics. 
However, the evaluation reveals that the level of integration of social sciences and humanities 
was  uneven  across  different  parts  of  the  programme  areas.  As  regards  gender  equality  the 
balance improved under Horizon 2020, with the share of women in evaluation panels reaching 
42%. However, the share of women in scientific advisory panels and as researchers in projects 
remained below the 50% target, at 43% and 23% respectively, showing room for improvement.  

Economic impact 

Horizon  2020  made  a  significant  contribution  to  the  European  economy,  not  only  by 
stimulating  employment  and  economic  growth,  but  also  by  effectively  leveraging  private 
funds  and  boosting  the  productivity  of  the  companies  involved.  It  has  generated  the 
development  of  thousands  of  innovation  outputs.  Looking  at  the  long-term  effects  of  the 
programme it is estimated to contribute an average annual increase of EUR 15.9 billion to 
EU GDP, totalling EUR 429 billion over the period 2014-2040. Horizon 2020 is also expected 
to have had a notable impact on job creation, with a net gain in employment levels reaching 
around 220 000 employees at its peak. In monetary terms, for every euro the programme is 

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estimated to cost society (in programme costs and costs to applicants), it is estimated to 
yield five euro in benefits to EU citizens in the period up to 2040. 

On top of its nominal budget,  Horizon 2020 contributed to increasing R&D spending in 
Europe  by  attracting  co-investment  from  both  public  and  private  sectors.  The  greatest 
leverage  was  achieved  in  European  partnerships:  in  joint  undertakings,  private  partners 
contributed resources (in cash or in kind) that more than doubled or even tripled the volume of 
EU funding. Moreover, the programme impacted the economic performance of participating 
companies. They saw on average a 20 % employment rise and a 30 % increase in turnover and 
total assets, compared to the firms that did not receive funding despite high quality applications. 
The  programme  also  made  a  significant  contribution  to  intellectual  property  rights  (IPR) 
developments.  Programme  beneficiaries  reported  close  to  4 000  IPR  applications,  of  which 
three quarters are for patents, followed by 12% for trademarks.  

The interim evaluation of Horizon 2020 identified a notable gap in venture and growth capital 
in the EU to scale up innovations. To help bridge this gap, a pilot started to run the European 
Innovation Council (EIC) in the last three years of Horizon 2020. Early indications show that 
the EIC pilot had a positive impact on the turnover and staffing levels of its beneficiaries. 
It also tackled a critical funding gap in high-risk areas where limited alternatives are available 
at national and regional levels. The Horizon 2020 financial facility leveraged EUR 77.5 billion 
in  debt  and  equity  for  over  38  000  organisations,  well  above  its  targets,  and  fostered  the 
development of venture capital ecosystems and networks. 

While  Horizon  2020  made  strides  in  bridging  the  gap  between  high-quality  European 
research and market innovations, it has not fully closed this long-standing gap. Measures 
tracking  the  spread  of  innovation  suggest  that  the  EU  improved  its  performance  during  the 
Horizon 2020 implementation period, yet it still trails behind its main international competitors 
on this aspect. 

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Horizon  2020  provides  high  value-for-money  for  European  society.  It  significantly 
enhanced the scope and quality of research and innovation in Europe, and supported larger-
scale, more complex and more ambitious R&I activities than would have been possible without 
EU support. It fostered multidisciplinary collaboration and pan-European collaboration, and 
competition in R&I. The evaluation concludes that Horizon 2020 significantly contributed to 
leveraging R&I funding, it supported the implementation of other EU policies and remained 
relevant to social needs. The evaluation underscores the need to sustain action across multiple 
framework programmes to achieve these outcomes. 

The  evaluation  identified  the  following  areas  for  improvement:  to  broaden  participation, 
further  simplify  and  reduce  the  administrative  burden,  to  reinforce  the  dissemination, 
exploitation and deployment of results, to support the participation of women and to enhance 
synergies  with  other  initiatives  at  EU,  national  and  regional  level.  The  insights  and  key 
conclusions derived from this final evaluation of Horizon 2020 are set to play a crucial role not 
only in shaping the ongoing implementation of Horizon Europe, but also in influencing the 
policy  development  for  future  research  and  innovation  initiatives.  This  ensures  that  lessons 
learned  from  Horizon  2020  are  effectively  integrated  into  current  and  future  programmes, 
enhancing their efficiency, relevance and impact on Europeans. 

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