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 2023
Date: 2024-06-05
Institutions: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission
Subjects: EAEC, EU programme, EU research policy, European Institute of Innovation and Technology, Framework Programme for Research and Development, Joint Research Centre, innovation, research and development, scientific cooperation, technological change

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 5.6.2024  COM(2024) 231 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 2023  
 
 
1. 

BACKGROUND 

This report provides a non-exhaustive overview of the EU’s key research and innovation 
(R&I) activities in 2023 and monitoring of Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020 and the Euratom 
Research and Training 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 
Regulation  (EU)  2021/695  of  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  establishing 
Horizon  Europe  –  the  Framework  Programme  for  Research  and  Innovation  and  with 
Article 12  of  Council  Regulation  (Euratom)  2021/765  establishing  the  Research  and 
Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community. 

2. 

POLITICAL CONTEXT AND POLICY DEVELOPMENTS 

2023 was a year of multiple global challenges. Climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, 
the digital transformation, health threats and an ageing population led to strong demand 
for R&I-based solutions. The unstable geopolitical context, in particular Russia’s war of 
aggression against Ukraine, also influenced R&I policy-making. 

2.1  Ukraine and EU’s internal security 

The Commission continued providing support to Ukraine, focusing on three key objectives: 

1.  support science and Ukrainian researchers in Ukraine and in refuge; 
2.  accelerate Ukraine’s efforts towards EU integration in R&I; 
3.  advocate for the role of R&I in key political and operational frameworks to promote 

Ukraine’s recovery. 

The  Commission’s  proposal  for  a  Regulation  on  a  Ukraine  Facility  includes  important 
references to rebuilding the research infrastructure. 

The  Horizon  Europe  Office  in  Kyiv  was  inaugurated  in  December  and  will  promote 
funding opportunities and support applicants. The event also served as a political launch 
of a EUR 20 million initiative to support Ukrainian breakthrough innovators.  

To  increase  the  EU’s  internal  security,  protect  its  population  and  critical  infrastructure 
against  cyber  and  physical  threats  and  to  increase  disaster  resilience,  the  following 
measures were taken: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

the EU framed its first multiannual strategic policy for European integrated border 
management  for  2023-2027,  with  R&I  as  a  cross-cutting  component  to  support 
measures such as carrying out checks at borders; 
the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  agreed  on  the  mandate  for  a  new  EU 
Drugs Agency, whose tasks include various R&I activities; 
the Commission published a Communication on countering potential threats posed 
by drones, identifying how EU-funded research tackles the threats posed by drones; 
the Commission organised a security research event, bringing together more than 
1 000 policymakers, researchers, security practitioners and industry representatives 
to discuss how security research can make the EU more resilient; 

 
 
• 

• 

the Union Secure Connectivity Programme for 2023-2027 was adopted to provide 
the  EU  with  spaced-based  satellite  communication  services  based  on  R&I 
activities; 
the Council approved the revised EU Maritime Security Strategy and its action plan 
including numerous actions related to R&I that seek to tackle new security threats. 

2.2  EU’s  open  strategic  autonomy,  economic  security  and  international 
cooperation 

The European Economic Security Strategy in line with the Global Approach to Research 
and Innovation aims to ensure both the EU’s economic openness and safeguarding research 
security.  R&I  plays  a  key  role  in  each  of  the  Strategy’s  three  priorities:  promoting, 
protecting, and partnering.  

Promoting: 

The  economic  security  strategy  promotes  competitiveness  by  investing  in  strategic 
technologies  through  Horizon  Europe  that  are  critical  for  economic  security,  such  as 
advanced semi-conductors and quantum computing. 

The  Strategic  Technologies  for  Europe  Platform  proposed  financial  support  for  critical 
technologies and to boost the EU’s resilience. The Commission also proposed a Critical 
Raw Materials Act and a Net Zero Industry Act, both promoting more R&I in areas that 
will increase the EU’s resilience. 

Protecting: 

Improving  research  security  is  key  to  protecting  the  EU’s  open  strategic  autonomy  by 
ensuring that existing tools are enforced systematically and by identifying and tackling any 
remaining gaps. The following measures applied in 2023: 

• 

•  security appraisal of Horizon Europe projects involved screening 118 proposals (68 
in  2022),  of  which  20  underwent  the  security  scrutiny  procedure  in  cooperation 
with national security experts; 
the  Horizon  Europe  Regulation  provides  the  possibility  to  limit  participation  to 
safeguard EU strategic assets, interests, autonomy or security (Article 22(5)); 
in  line  with  the  Toolkit on  Tackling  R&I  Foreign  interference,  the  Commission 
organised mutual learning exercises on R&I  foreign interference, which brought 
together representatives from 14 Member States. 

• 

Partnering: 

The Commission has strengthened R&I cooperation with: 

• 

the United States, by renewing the bilateral agreement for science and technology 
cooperation; 

• 

•  Latin  America  and  the  Caribbean  region,  where  a  bi-regional  Senior  Officials 
Meeting initiated the development of a new strategic roadmap for cooperation; 
the African Union (AU) through the AU-EU Innovation Agenda to transform the 
EU’s and AU’s innovative capacity to foster sustainable jobs and growth; 
India,  by setting  up a working group on clean and green energy during the EU-
India Trade and Technology Council; 

• 

2 

 
• 

the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance, including Norway and 
the United Kingdom. 

In  line  with  the  Joint  Communication  EU-China  Strategic  Outlook,  the  Commission 
continued discussions on future EU-China cooperation in research and innovation. 

2.3  Green and digital transition 

Tackling climate change remained a top priority in 2023, as evidenced by the numerous 
EU R&I activities that provide the evidence base to implement the European Green Deal: 

•  The Commission published a Green Deal Industrial Plan, along with the Net-Zero 
Industry Act and the Critical Raw Materials Act, to boost the competitiveness of 
Europe’s  net-zero  industry  and  support  the  transition  to  climate  neutrality  with 
specific actions on R&I, for instance on green hydrogen; 

•  new pieces of EU legislation were adopted, such as RefuelEU Aviation, FuelEU 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Maritime, and the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation; 
in  January,  the  Commission  presented  a  New  Deal  for  Pollinators  to  support 
research into pollinators and the causes and consequences of their decline; 
in July, the Commission presented a proposal for a directive on soil monitoring and 
resilience and in November a monitoring framework for resilient European forests, 
to provide better knowledge on European forests; 
the important role of EU R&I in fostering systemic adaptation to climate change is 
acknowledged  in  the  Report  on  the  implementation  of  the  EU  strategy  on 
adaptation to climate change accompanying the 2023 EU Climate Action Progress 
Report; 
improved auction design and non-price award criteria supporting innovation as part 
of the European wind power action plan; 
the EU action plan for grids notes that R&I is key for electricity grids to upgrade 
to smart grids, becoming digital, monitored in real-time, remotely controllable and 
cybersecure; 
the  Communication  on  the  revision  of  the  Strategic  Energy  Technology  Plan 
supports  the  development  of  clean,  efficient  and  cost-competitive  energy 
technologies through collaboration in clean energy research; 

• 

• 

•  actions under the New European Innovation Agenda in low-carbon technologies, 
the  circular  economy  and  the  digital  transition  contributed  to  achieving  the 
objectives of the green and digital transition; 
in  December,  the  Commission  adopted  the  ‘one  substance  one  assessment’ 
package, containing three legislative proposals to improve the knowledge base on 
chemicals; 
the  EU  expanded  the  scope  and  size  of  the  Innovation  Fund,  a  key  EU  funding 
instrument  for  the  take-up  of  R&I  results  and  deployment  of  net-zero  and 
innovative technologies to decarbonise Europe; 
the proposal on the right to repair and initiatives on microplastics, building on the 
results of EU R&I projects to improve product circularity and prevent microplastic 
pollution; 
the  third  AgriResearch  conference  identified  future  research  and  innovation  in 
agriculture, forestry and rural areas; 

• 

• 

•  under the Food 2030 initiative, a conference was held in December and a report 

was released, outlining R&I pathways to transform food; 

3 

 
• 

• 

the Commission adopted the Fisheries and Ocean Package, including the marine 
action plan with a section focusing on strengthening research and innovation; 
•  2023 saw the adoption of the transition pathways for chemicals, construction and 
textiles, which identify specific research actions to enable the green transition; 
the  European  Chips  Act  entered  into  force  in  September  2023  aiming  to  boost 
Europe’s  competitiveness  and  resilience  through  strong  research  activities  in 
semiconductor technologies and applications; 
the Commission  adopted a  Communication  on the long-term  competitiveness  of 
the  EU  that  highlights  R&I  as  one  of  the  main  drivers  for  long-term 
competitiveness.  For 
incentives,  public-private 
it  suggests 
partnerships  and  large-scale  projects,  especially  in  the  key  areas  of  clean 
technology, digitisation and biotechnology. 

instance, 

tax 

• 

2.4  Partnership with Member States 

As of early December, out of the 613 R&I-related milestones that Member States must 
achieve to receive the corresponding Recovery and Resilience Facility payments, 87 had 
been  achieved  (around  14%).  EUR 5.98  billion  had  been  disbursed  to  Member  States, 
representing around 12.5% of the overall support allocated to R&I (EUR 48 billion). 

In  2023,  bilateral  discussions  between  the  Commission  and  Member  States  were 
consolidated  through  enhanced  dialogues,  which  aim  to  create  country-tailored 
approaches. 

The EU also provided support to the Member States to improve their R&I system by a 
concerted  roll-out  of  the  Policy  Support  Facility.  This  involved  specific  projects  for 
Croatia,  Greece,  and  Romania  and  the  launch  of  mutual  learning  exercises  on  citizen 
engagement,  EU  research  missions,  foresight,  knowledge  valorisation  and  industrial 
decarbonisation. 

To  boost  the  attractiveness  of  careers  in  research,  in  July  the  Commission  adopted  a 
proposal for a Council Recommendation on a European framework to attract and retain 
research, innovation and entrepreneurial talents. 

To oversee implementation of the new European Research Area (ERA), a monitoring and 
reporting  system  was  put  in  place  and  the  first  ERA  Monitoring  ‘EU-level  report’  was 
published in November. 

Several targeted info days took place in less successful countries in the Widening part of 
Horizon Europe. 

In  August,  the  Commission  adopted  its  third  report  on  the  application  of  the  European 
Research Infrastructure Consortium Regulation, which has become a legal instrument for 
infrastructure initiatives.  

2.5  Direct actions implemented by the Joint Research Centre of the Commission 

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) supported numerous Commission initiatives and among 
many activities: 

• 

launched  the  EU  observatory,  covering  deforestation  and  forest  degradation 
worldwide, that will help protect and restore forests; 

4 

 
• 

launched the European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency, which will support 
efforts in regulating digital services; 

•  contributed to the 2023 Strategic Foresight Report, which builds on the Science for 

• 

Policy Report on  social and economic choices in sustainability transitions; 
launched the Atlas of Migration, which provides data on migration and contains a 
thematic  section  on  people  displaced  from  Ukraine  following  Russia’s  war  of 
aggression. 

5 

 
 
3. 

IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING OF HORIZON EUROPE AND EURATOM 

3.1. 

Horizon Europe in 2023 – Highlights & new features 

In March, the Commission amended the ‘main’ Horizon Europe work programme 2023-
2024, to further foster R&I for supporting civil security for society and renewable energy, 
increasing the budget for the work programme by around EUR 55 million to a total of over 
EUR 13.5 billion. 

The Commission implemented the new eligibility criterion on gender equality plans and 
created a new EU Award for Gender Equality Champions. 

Association to Horizon Europe 

In  2023,  the  number  of  associated  countries  reached  17.  In  January  2024,  the  United 
Kingdom became the 18th. 

New Zealand was associated retroactively  as from  1 January 2023, which was  the  first 
associated country beyond the geographical vicinity of the EU. 

The  leaders  at  the  EU-Canada  Summit  announced  the  conclusion  of  substantive 
negotiations.  The  agreement  associating  Canada  to  Horizon  Europe  is  expected  to  be 
signed in mid-2024. 

In November, the Commission endorsed the Common Understanding negotiated between 
the EU and Switzerland that has enabled exploratory talks for Switzerland’s association. 

The launch of formal association negotiations with the Republic of Korea was announced 
at the EU-Korea Summit in May. 

Discussions have continued at technical level with Japan and Singapore on prospects for 
association to Horizon Europe. 

3.2. 

Horizon Europe monitoring data 

Calls and topics 

Source: CPS data extracted on 09.01.2024 

The 284 calls for proposals launched by end of 2023 under the Horizon Europe main work 
programmes  2021-2022  and  2023-2024  covered  a  total  of  1 581 research  topics  with  a 
budget of EUR 25.6 billion. 77% of those calls had been fully evaluated by end of 2023. 

The proposed topics aimed to attract R&I projects that will help tackle the Commission’s 
priorities for 2019-2024. Around 28% of the topics encouraged or required international 
cooperation. 

6 

 
 
 
 
A European Green Deal

A Europe fit for the digital age

An economy that works for people

70%

39%

38%

Promoting our European way of life

21%

A push for European Democracy

8%

A stronger Europe in the world

28%

Fig. 1: Percentage of topics tackling Commission policy priorities 

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90% 100%

The European Research Council work programme announced 4 calls for frontier research 
grants with a total budget of EUR 2.12 billion. The calls were launched and fully evaluated. 

Lastly,  the  European  Innovation  Council  opened  funding  opportunities  worth  some 
EUR 1.6  billion  for  breakthrough  innovators  through  three  main  funding  schemes:  EIC 
Pathfinder  (EUR 343  million),  EIC  Transition  (EUR 128  million)  and  EIC  Accelerator 
(EUR 1.13 billion). 

Project proposals and success rates 

Source: Horizon proposals dashboard frozen on 02.01.2024 

The programme continued to raise great interest with around 64 000 eligible proposals 
submitted1 over the period 2021-2023. The overall quality of proposals remained stable 
with half of eligible proposals (33 637, 52.6%) reaching the evaluation score threshold and 
assessed by external experts as of high quality. 

The  success  rate  of  proposals  increased  to  17.3%  (from  15.9%  at  the  end  of  2022  and 
11.9% under Horizon 2020). Over 11 000 proposals were selected for funding for a total 
of EUR 32.6 billion. 

However, two thirds (67.2%) of all high-quality proposals still lack funding. An additional 
budget  of  around  EUR 54.4 billion  would  have  been  needed  to  fund  all  high-quality 
proposals submitted over 2021-2023. 

Grants signed 

Source: Horizon projects dashboard, frozen on 02.01.2024 

Following the evaluation of the proposals, EUR 30.8 billion were awarded through 10 674 
grants. Some grants were still under preparation at the end of 2023.The average grant size 
is  EUR 2.9 million,  higher  than  under  Horizon  2020  (EUR 1.8 million).  Average  EU 
funding allocated to mono-beneficiary grants (44% of grants) is around EUR 1.2 million, 
against  EUR 4.2  million  for  collaborative  grants  (56%  of  grants).  On  average, 
collaborative grants involve 11 participants. 

1 Only under the calls that are closed and fully evaluated. 

7 

 
 
 
 
Programme part 

Eligible 
proposa
ls 

Selected 
proposal
s 

Pillar 1 - Excellent Science 

Success 
rate of 
proposals 
(% of 
eligible) 

EU 
contributio
n requested 
in selected 
proposals 
(in million 
EUR) 

Signed 
grants 

Averag
e 
project 
size 
(partici
pants) 

Averag
e grant 
size (in 
million 
EUR)  

EU 
contribu
tion in 
signed 
grants 
(in 
million 
EUR) 

European Research Council 

22 856 

3 235 

14.2% 

5 621 

2 903 

4 990 

1.2 

1.7 

Marie Skłodowska-Curie 
Actions 

17 914 

2 947 

16.5% 

1 684 

3 090  

1 719 

4 

0.6 

Research infrastructures 

 233 

130 

55.8% 

870 

132 

873 

22.5 

6.6 

Pillar II - Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness 

Cluster 1 Health 

2 012 

438 

21.8% 

3 469 

439 

3 408 

15.5 

7.8 

Cluster  2  Culture,  Creativity 
and Inclusive Society 

Cluster  3  Civil  Security  for 
Society 

Cluster 4  Digital,  Industry  and 
Space 

Cluster  5  Climate,  Energy  and 
Mobility 

Cluster 6 Food, Bioeconomy, 
Natural Resources, Agriculture 
and Environment 

Pillar III – Innovative Europe 

The  European 
Council* 

Innovation 

European innovation 
ecosystems 

The  European 
Innovation and Technology** 

Institute  of 

1 591 

246 

15.5% 

815 

225 

667 

11.8 

3.0 

650 

94 

14.5% 

424 

100 

428 

16.7 

4.3 

4 419 

906 

20.5% 

5 568 

891 

5 223 

14.2 

5.9 

3 834 

852 

22.2% 

6 704 

837 

6 228 

16.7 

7.4 

2 221 

582 

26.2% 

3 637 

540 

3 002 

18 

5.6 

5 631 

843 

15.0% 

1 356 

830 

2 165 

3.2 

2.6 

1 148 

247 

21.5% 

232 

250 

224 

3 

0.9 

21 

18 

85.7% 

1 173 

17 

913 

9.7 

N/A 

Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area 

Widening  participation  and 
spreading excellence 

Reforming  and  enhancing  the 
European R&I System 

1 135 

404 

35.6% 

807 

344 

796 

4.1 

2.3 

233 

84 

36.1% 

251 

76 

166 

12.2 

2.2 

Total for Horizon Europe 

63 898 

11 026 

17.3% 

32 610 

10 674 

30 802 

6.8 

2.9 

Table 1: Proposals and signed grants per pillar and programme part (Source: R&I proposals and R&I projects 
dashboards, frozen on 02.01.2024)  
*Figures for EIC Accelerator are incomplete (number of proposals) or missing (retained EU contribution, 2021-2022 
calls) 
** Figures refer to ‘envelope’ grants to EIT KICs only 

Tackling EU policy priorities 

8 

 
 
 
Source: Horizon Europe programme statement 

Research and innovation play a significant role in accelerating the green transition. So far, 
preliminary  monitoring  figures  combined  with  the  2023  estimated  figures  indicate  a 
Horizon  Europe's  climate  contribution  close  to  35%  by  the  end  of  2023.  Preliminary 
ex post estimations reveal that spending on biodiversity has increased from 7.9% in 2021 
to 8.7% in 2023. 

Horizon Europe investments in the digital transformation for 2021-2023 are estimated at 
up to EUR 14 053.2 million, or 40% of the Horizon Europe budget for these years. 

In 2023, EUR 50 million were allocated to projects whose principal objective is to improve 
gender  equality  and  around  EUR 1.7  billion  to  projects  that  contribute  in  some  way  to 
gender equality. 

Applicants and beneficiaries 

Source: Horizon projects dashboard, frozen on 02.01.2024 

The  projects  signed  in  the  first  three  years  of  the  programme  involve  around  21 894 
different  participants  from  163  different  countries,  including  34.1%  from  small  and 
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). 

Some 82.3% of the eligible applications submitted are from Member States and close to 
25% of those applications come from 'widening' countries. 

Entities located in associated countries submitted 6.1% of applications and entities located 
in third countries submitted 11.7% of all applications, of which half were from UK-based 
organisations. 

Country group 

Applications 
in eligible 
proposals 

% of total 
number of 
applications 

Success 
rate of 
applicatio
n 

Partici-
pation in 
signed 
grants 

% of all 
participations 

EU 
contri-
bution in 
signed 
grants 
(in 
million 
EUR) 

% of total 
EU 
contribution 
in signed 
grants 

Member States 

268 153 

82.3% 

22.1% 

61 008 

84.3% 

28 334 

92% 

 Non-widening countries 

205 413 

63.0% 

22.8% 

 48 378 

66.9% 

24 141 

 78.4% 

 Widening countries 

62 740 

19.3% 

19.8% 

 12 630 

17.5% 

4 193 

 13.6% 

Associated countries 

19 761 

6.1% 

19.6% 

3 929 

5.4% 

2 024 

6.6% 

Third Countries 

37 999 

11.7% 

21.6% 

7 392 

10.2% 

444 

1.4% 

TOTAL 

325 913 

100% 

21.9%  

72 329 

100% 

30 802 

100% 

Table 2: Applicants origin 

The  highest  shares  of  participants  come  from  higher  education  institutions  (33.5%), 
private-sector entities (30.5%) and research organisations (22.5%). 

The number of new participants to the programme increased from 36% in 2022 to 47%. 

9 

 
 
 
 
Overall,  entities located  in  Member States were  awarded EUR 28.3 billion  (92%  of the 
funds). Entities in widening countries were granted 13.6% of the funds. Entities located in 
associated  countries  were  awarded  over  EUR 2  billion  (6.6%)  and  non-associated  third 
countries EUR 444 million (1.4%). 

SMEs received 20.6% of the allocated Horizon Europe budget (EUR 6.6 billion), of which 
EUR 5.34 billion in grants (17% of Horizon Europe's allocated grant budget) and EUR 
1.26 billion in direct investments through the EIC Fund.  

First results 

Data source: Key Impact Pathway dashboard frozen on 02.01.2024 

Over  59 000  researchers  have  received  support  for  upskilling  activities  under  Horizon 
Europe; 45% of them women. Three years after the programme was launched, the funded 
projects (489 projects or 4.5% of all projects in progress) started to produce results. So far 
the projects have produced 2 843 peer-reviewed publications, and 1 804 innovative results. 
Only 174 projects (1.6%) had been closed at the time of this analysis. 

Focus on European partnerships 

Data source: Horizon projects dashboard frozen on 02.01.2024 

By the end of 2023, 44 of the 49 partnerships identified in the Horizon Europe first strategic 
plan 2021-2024 had been set up. 

Under  the  10  active  joint  undertakings  (institutionalised  partnerships  based  on 
Article 187 TFEU), 345 grants were signed for a total of EUR 2.9 billion (9.5% of Horizon 
Europe funds granted over 2021-2023). The partnerships involve around 3 000 different 
organisations, two thirds of which are private companies and 40% are SMEs. An additional 
EUR 2.75  billion  were  brought  in  by  beneficiaries,  representing  50%  of  the  project 
investments.  In  November,  the  Global  Health  European  and  Development  Countries 
Clinical  Trials  Partnership,  designed  to  study  poverty-related  and  neglected  infectious 
diseases, achieved autonomy. 

As far as the co-funded partnerships are concerned, grant agreements were signed with 
eight consortia of beneficiaries under pillar II and with one consortium under pillar III for 
a total of EUR 680 million. Eight further partnerships were under preparation. The partners 
contributed between 50% and 70% of the funds (an additional EUR 1.65 billion) for R&I. 

EUR 3.1  billion  from  Horizon  Europe  (around  10%)  supported  co-programmed 
partnerships  and  the  project  partners  brought  in  an  additional  EUR 0.5  billion.  460 
projects were financed over 2021-2023 involving 3 879 different organisations, a third of 
which were SMEs. 

10 

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

The results achieved in 2023 included: 

•  1 576 people graduated from EIT-labelled master and doctoral programmes; 
•  72 start-ups were created by students from EIT programmes and 97 were the result 

of EIT innovation projects; 

•  945 start-ups received support from EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities 

(KICs); 

•  301 innovative products or services were put on the market by the EIT KICs. 

Focus on EU missions 

Source: Horizon proposals and project dashboards, frozen on 02/01/2024 

An assessment of the EU missions was completed and reported in the first Communication 
analysing the selection process, governance, budget, focus and progress to date. 

By the end of 2023, 36 mission calls had been launched, closed and fully evaluated. The 
calls for proposals attracted 856 eligible proposals, of which 215 were selected for funding 
for a total amount of EUR 1.7 billion. 

173 Horizon Europe grants involving 2 386 participants were signed for a total amount of 
EUR 1.43 billion split2 as follows across the five missions: 

Ocean: 16.8%

Soil: 12.4%

Climate: 20.4%

Cities: 26.4%

Cancer: 24.2%

Fig. 2: Mission grants in % 

Although  it  is  too  early  to  fully  assess  the  impact  of  the  five  targeted  missions,  some 
selected achievements can already be reported: 

•  The  Mission  on  Adaptation  to  Climate  Change  launched  its  implementation 
platform  providing  services  to  311  regions  and  local  authorities.  The  first  21 
projects started and tackled issues such as testing and demonstrating solutions for 
climate resilience. 

2  Expenditure for horizontal projects or joint projects between missions  is split equally between the missions to which the projects 

contribute. 

11 

 
 
 
•  By early December, over 2 000 individuals and 370 organisations had committed 
to supporting the Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’. 20 more proposals, including 
the first living labs, were selected for funding. 

•  The Mission to Restore our Ocean and Waters launched the Mission Service Portal. 

Nearly 600 actions have signed the Mission Charter. 

•  The Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities reached a major milestone when 

the first 10 participating cities were awarded the Mission Label. 

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

The Commission has published a report and a factsheet on the participation of newcomers 
in EU R&I framework programmes and a factsheet on Horizon Europe key implementation 
data  for  2021-2022.  It  has  also  published  reports  on  how  the  R&I  programmes  have 
contributed  to  the  Intergovernmental  Science-Policy  Platform  on  Biodiversity  and 
Ecosystem Services, and to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 

3.4 

Dissemination and exploitation 

The programme continued to use the established dissemination tools – the Horizon Results 
platform, Horizon Results Booster, CORDIS, Horizon Dashboard and the EU Innovation 
Radar to provide usable results. 

It also carried out further dissemination activities: 

•  The  Commission  awarded  the  2023  Security  Innovation  Award,  celebrating 

outstanding examples of R&I that benefit EU citizens’ security. 

•  20  events  on  topics  ranging  from  bioterrorism  to  disaster  resilience  in  the 
framework of the Community of European Research and Innovation for Security 
brought  together  policymakers,  researchers,  industry  and  civil  society  for 
exchanges including dissemination of security research results. 

•  The  Transport  Research  and  Innovation  Monitoring  and  Information  System 

analysed European R&I project results in mobility and transport. 

• 

•  To mark the European Year of Skills, the Commission published a Cordis Results 
Pack showcasing the work of 13 research projects funded under Horizon 2020 in 
training, reskilling and upskilling. 
In March, the Science is Wonderful! Initiative enabled 4 000 school pupils from 
across Europe to engage with leading scientists. 
In  September,  the  European  Researchers’  Night  took  place  in  26  countries 
attracting over 1.5 million visitors and displaying the impact of science on people’s 
daily lives. 
In  May,  a  high-level  event  wrapped  up  the  project  Citizen  Voices  for  the  EU 
Climate  Transition,  resulting  in  national  and  European  roadmaps  identifying 
specific action to be undertaken with the active participation of citizens. 

• 

• 

3.5 

Implementing and monitoring the Euratom programme 2021-2025 

a)  Nuclear direct actions implemented by the JRC 

The  JRC  has  supported  the  European  Commission’s  response  to  Russia’s  war  of 
aggression  against  Ukraine  by  carrying  out  radioactivity  environmental  monitoring, 
nuclear safety and emergency preparedness response. 

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The JRC worked with the OECD’s Nuclear Energy Agency and contributed to reports and 
case studies on small nuclear reactors and their potential future role in decarbonisation.  

In  the  field  of  Alpha  Therapy  activity  to  treat  cancer,  the  JRC  co-organised  with  the 
University of Pretoria, the International Symposium of Targeted Alpha Therapy TAT12. 

As  part  of  its  foresight  activities,  the  JRC  performed  a  Horizon  Scanning  for  Nuclear 
Safety and Security published in a yearly report. 

The JRC published 111 peer-reviewed articles in nuclear areas such as the safety of spent 
nuclear  fuel,  materials,  radioactive  waste  management,  medical  applications  or 
environmental radiation measuring. It also provided 13 training courses to Member States 
under the European Nuclear Security Training Centre programme. 

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

In March, the Commission adopted the Euratom work programme for 2023-2025, which 
made EUR 132 million available for research for the EU’s security of energy supply while 
ensuring the highest standards of safety. At the launch event, the Commission signed a 
declaration  on  EU  SMR  2030:  Research  &  Innovation,  Education  &  Training  which 
focused  on  the  key  role  of  R&I,  education  and  training  for  Small  Modular  Reactors 
development. 

In  August,  the  Euratom-funded  project  EURAMED  Rocc-n-Roll  presented  a  strategic 
research  roadmap  for  medical  applications  of  ionising  radiation  for  better  and 
individualised healthcare; one of the cornerstones of Europe’s Beating Cancer plan and 
the Cancer Mission. 

The Euratom co-funded partnership, EUROfusion, achieved the research goals of its third 
deuterium-tritium  experimental  campaign  at  the  Joint  European  Torus  device.  The 
experiments  explored  fusion  processes  and  control  techniques  in  preparation  for  future 
fusion power plants. 

In  September,  the  Commission  launched  a  call  for  the  2024  SOFT  Innovation  Prize, 
recognising  and  showcasing  innovation  in  fusion  research  and  rewarding  excellent 
research. 

4. 

OUTLOOK 2024 

In 2024, the Commission will adopt the next Horizon Europe strategic plan for 2025-2027, 
identifying  the  R&I  priorities  for  the  second  half  of  Horizon  Europe.  On  its  basis  the 
Horizon Europe work programme 2025 will be drafted. 

In  2024,  the  Commission  will  continue  to  promote  EU  missions  and  partnerships  and 
Horizon Europe R&I activities. By way of example, it will mark  40 years of the EU’s 
research and innovation framework programmes and their role in creating a more positive 
future during the European Research and Innovation Days. 

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