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 in 2024
Date: 2025-06-06
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, scientific cooperation, technological change

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 6.6.2025  COM(2025) 298 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 in 2024  
 
 
1. 

BACKGROUND 

This  report  provides  an  overview  of  the  EU’s  key  research  and  innovation  (R&I) 
activities  and  monitoring  of  Horizon  Europe  and  the  Euratom  Research  and  Training 
Programme in 2024. 

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 
Regulation  (EU)  2021/695  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  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 

2024 marked the 40th anniversary of the EU’s first R&I funding programme and was an 
occasion  to  reflect  on  past  achievements.  Over  the  last  four  decades,  the  EU  has 
demonstrated  a  steadfast  commitment  to  advancing  scientific  progress  and  economic 
growth, earmarking over EUR 280 billion for R&I. These efforts have resulted in more 
than 120 000 grants involving approximately 75 000 beneficiaries. Notably, over 30 top 
EU-funded researchers have gone on to win Nobel Prizes for their work.  

By  learning  from  past  achievements,  while  considering  recent  developments  such  as 
global security challenges or the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), the EU will continue 
to use its strengths in R&I to secure a global competitive edge. 

2.1. 

Europe’s sustainable prosperity, single market and competitiveness 

In  a  rapidly  evolving  global  landscape,  innovation  is  a  primary  driver  of  economic 
prosperity  and  competitiveness.  In  2024,  the  Letta  and  Draghi  reports  offered  strategic 
roadmaps to strengthen the EU’s economic position.  

Enrico Letta’s report ‘Much More than a Market’ advocated for a ‘fifth freedom’ – free 
movement  of  knowledge  –  to  enhance  research,  innovation  and  education  in  the  single 
market.  An  example  of  an  advance  in  this  respect  in  2024  is  that  Romania  joined  the 
unitary patent system, bringing the number of its members to 18. 

Mario  Draghi’s  Report  on  the  Future  of  European  Competitiveness  underscored  the 
importance  of  embedding  R&I  at  the  core  of  the  EU’s  economy  to  drive  sustainable 
growth.  A  key  advancement  in  this  area  in  2024  was  the  Commission’s  adoption  of  a 
Communication  on  Advanced  Materials  for  Industrial  Leadership,  followed  by  Council 
Conclusions. R&I was highlighted as a way to secure a leading position in the field.  

Competitiveness  was  a  central  focus  of  the  2024  European  Semester,  including 
recognition  of  the  EU’s  lagging  position  in  R&I  investments  compared  to  other  major 
economies  and  the  continued  challenge  of  reaching  the  3%  GDP  target.  R&I  featured 
prominently in the country reports for all Member States, with Czechia, France, Croatia, 
Lithuania,  Luxembourg  and  Slovenia  receiving  country-specific  recommendations  on 
R&I.  

 
 
The  circular  economy  is  key  to  support  Europe’s  competitiveness.  In  2024,  the 
Ecodesign  for  Sustainable  Products  Regulation  (ESPR)  entered  into  force  and  an 
Ecodesign Forum was established to involve stakeholders in implementing it. Initial steps 
were  taken  to  implement  the  ESPR  digital  product  passport,  supported  by  several  R&I 
projects.  

2.2  

Strategic autonomy and economic security in the R&I domain 

In  2024,  the  Commission  worked  on  the  implementation  of  the  European  Economic 
Security  Strategy.  This  was  reinforced  by  the  Council  Recommendation  on  enhancing 
research  security,  which  emphasises  self-governance  in  the  sector  supported  by 
government  measures.  The  Commission  also  started  work  to  set  up  a  due  diligence 
platform  to  help  European  universities  and  research  organisations  evaluate  risks  and 
opportunities  in  international  collaborations.  Additionally,  the  Commission  began  joint 
risk  assessments  with  Member  States  on  four  critical  technology  areas:  advanced 
semiconductors, AI, quantum and biotechnology. 

As  part  of  the  Strategic  Technologies  for  Europe  Platform  (STEP),  the  EIC  STEP 
Scale Up scheme offered equity investments to start-ups, SMEs, and small mid-caps. The 
aim was to scale up innovations in strategic technology sectors such as digital, deep tech, 
clean  tech  and  biotech.  EUR  6.3  billion  was  reprogrammed  under  cohesion  policy  to 
bolster critical technologies and industries.  

The Commission also adopted a white paper on R&I involving technologies with dual-
use potential, launching a public consultation. 

The Commission awarded a concession contract to develop the EU’s secure connectivity 
satellite  system,  IRIS².  This  will  incentivise  the  deployment  of  innovative  technology 
and strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy by 2030. 

2.3. 

Green and digital transition 

In  2024,  the  Commission  presented  a  Communication  proposing  the  2040  EU  climate 
target, recommending a 90% net greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2040 relative to 
1990. One of the key steps proposed to achieve this goal is an industrial transformation 
driven  by  R&I.  This  Communication  was  accompanied  by  the  Industrial  Carbon 
Management Communication, with a dedicated R&I chapter.  

A  number  of  further  initiatives  under  the  European  Green  Deal  entailed  an  R&I 
component: notably, projects’ results helped to support the implementation of the Nature 
Restoration Regulation  and the Long-term  Vision for the EU’s  Rural  Areas. Moreover, 
the Communication on Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing identified boosting R&I as 
a way forward, and the Net-Zero Industry Act granted legal status to the Strategic Energy 
Technology Plan to boost the EU’s clean energy tech manufacturing. The Staff Working 
Document  ‘Towards  a  roadmap  for  accelerating  the  deployment  of  Hydrogen  Valleys 
across  Europe:  challenges  and  opportunities’  was  also  adopted,  in  line  with  the 
REPowerEU plan.  Following the Commission’s proposal,  the European  Parliament and 
Council adopted regulations on critical raw materials and the net zero industry. 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
2024 also saw progress on the digital transition, to which R&I are key contributors. For 
example, the white paper on digital infrastructure needs presented possible scenarios to 
ensure  that  the  EU  has  the  state-of-the-art  digital  infrastructure  required  to  support 
innovation.  The  new  Cultural  Heritage  Cloud  also  offered  a  European  platform  for 
researchers and practitioners to collaborate on cultural heritage R&I. 

In addition, 2024 marked a new peak in the rapid acceleration of progress in AI, driven 
by  significant  advances  in  widespread  data  availability,  computing  power  and  machine 
learning.  The  AI  innovation  package  aimed  to  support  EU  start-ups  and  SMEs  in 
developing  trustworthy  AI  and  established  the  European  AI  Office.  The  GenAI4EU 
initiative  under  this  package  will  support  the  development  of  generative  AI  solutions. 
Lastly, the Commission published guidelines on the use of generative AI in research. 

2.4. 

Partnership with Member States 

As of December, 175 R&I-related milestones and targets had been met, out of 710 which 
Member  States  must  achieve  to  receive  the  corresponding  Recovery  and  Resilience 
Facility payments. As regards synergies with cohesion policy, Malta and Lithuania made 
budget transfers from the European Regional Development Fund to Horizon Europe.   

Furthermore, the bilateral discussions between the Commission and Member States were 
deepened  through  enhanced  dialogues  with  Estonia,  Germany  and  the  Netherlands. 
Intensified  deployment  of  the  Policy  Support  Facility  also  helped  Member  States 
enhance  their  R&I  systems.  Specific  exercises  started  with  Bulgaria,  Czechia,  Finland 
and Ukraine, and mutual learning exercises were launched on topics such as science for 
policy, research careers and AI for science. 

The  European  Research  Area  (ERA)  Policy  Platform  was  launched,  enabling 
information to be shared among Member States, associated countries, R&I stakeholders 
and the Commission. In addition, the Communication on the implementation of the ERA 
assessed  the  progress  achieved  since  the  2020  ERA  Communication  and  the  first  ERA 
policy agenda.  

2.5 Global Europe 

The  Commission  continued  to  play  a  key  role  in  multilateral  R&I  cooperation. 
Together with the Belgian Presidency, it co-organised a ministerial conference as part of 
the  multilateral  dialogue  on  principles  and  values  for  international  R&I  cooperation.  It 
participated in the Group on Earth Observations, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 
Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and 
Ecosystem Services. 

With regard to specific regions and countries, a number of highlights are noteworthy: 

•  The  Commission  continued  to  support  Ukraine’s  R&I  through  dedicated 
initiatives  under  Horizon  Europe.  A  Policy  Support  Facility  exercise  was 
launched  to  interconnect  Ukraine’s  research  infrastructure  with  that  of  the  EU. 

3 

 
 
 
Furthermore, the EU continued to  advocate for the role of R&I in  the country’s 
reconstruction. 

•  The  EU-US  Energy  Council  at  ministerial  level  confirmed  the  commitment  to 
cooperate  on  fusion  research,  climate  modelling  and  carbon  capture,  utilisation 
and storage. Under the EU-US Trade and Technology Council, collaboration on 
e-mobility  and  smart  grids  led  to  joint  recommendations  on  vehicle-grid 
integration demonstrations. 

•  The All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance  welcomed  Iceland 

and Senegal as partners. 

2.6. 

Non-nuclear  direct  actions  implemented  by  the  Joint  Research  Centre 
(JRC) 

The JRC supported several initiatives through its research, including: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

the  European  Innovation  Centre  for  Industrial  Transformation  and  Emissions, 
promoting emissions-reducing technology in industry; 

the first World Drought Atlas, alongside the United Nations; 

a  security  of  supply  tabletop  simulation  exercise,  validating  EU  gas  supply 
preparedness  for  the  2024-2025  winter  considering  the  anticipated  end  of 
Russian gas transit through Ukraine after 2024; 

the  development  of  methodologies  to  detect  antibiotic  residues  in  animal  feed, 
enabling  new  EU  regulations  and  advancing  OneHealth  goals  against  antibiotic 
resistance. 

3. 

IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING OF HORIZON EUROPE & EURATOM 

3.1. 

Horizon Europe in 2024 – highlights & new features 

The Commission adopted an amendment to the Horizon Europe ‘main’ 2023-2024 work 
programme. A package of experimental actions was introduced to make the programme 
more  open  and  support  early-stage  researchers.  The  New  European  Bauhaus  (NEB) 
Destination  launched  three  topics,  as  an  intermediary  step  paving  the  way  towards  the 
upcoming NEB Facility. Calls for 2025 were included in the work programme to ensure 
continuity  of  recurrent  actions  such  as  the  Marie  Skłodowska-Curie  Actions,  ‘Teaming 
for Excellence’ and ‘ERA Fellowships’. 

Support to Ukraine through Horizon Europe 

In  2024,  twelve  Ukrainian  cities  joined  the  SUN4Ukraine  initiative  under  the  EU 
Climate-Neutral  and  Smart  Cities  Mission.  The  initiative  supports  Ukrainian  cities 
aiming to become climate-neutral. Support via MSCA4Ukraine continued, with EUR 10 
million added for displaced researchers’ fellowships. The EIT Community RIS Hub in 
Kyiv  became  fully  operational  in  2024,  serving  as  a  one-stop  shop  to  access  EIT 
Knowledge  and  Innovation  Communities  (KIC).  Ukraine  was  also  involved  in  R&I 
cooperation on marine and river-based ecosystems in the Black Sea basin, notably via the 

4 

 
 
‘Restore  our  Ocean  and  Waters  by  2030’  mission  and  the  Sustainable  Blue  Economy 
Partnership. 

Association to Horizon Europe 

In  2024,  the  number  of  associated  countries  reached  19,  with  the  UK  becoming  fully 
associated  (except  for  the  EIC  Accelerator  Fund)  and  Canada  joining  for  pillar  II. 
Association  negotiations  were  concluded  with  the  Republic  of  Korea,  while  formal 
negotiations  started  with  Japan.  The  Council  adopted  a  mandate  to  start  first  formal 
negotiation  with  Singapore,  and  negotiations  were  initiated  with  Egypt.  Negotiations 
with  Switzerland  concluded,  with  the  agreement  expected  to  be  signed  in  2025.  The 
combined  operational  contribution  from  associated  countries 
totalled 
EUR 2.8 billion, with almost 10 000 participations. 

in  2024 

3.2. 

Horizon Europe monitoring data 

Funding opportunities 

The  656  calls  for  proposals  launched  under  the  Horizon  Europe  main  and  other  work 
programmes up until 2024 covered a total of 2 534 research topics with a budget of EUR 
59.4 billion.  

The proposed topics aimed to attract R&I projects that would address the von der Leyen 
Commission’s  priorities  for  2019-2024.  In  total,  so  far  95.5%  of  projects  have 
contributed to these priorities.  

Project proposals and success rates 

Source: Horizon Proposals Dashboard frozen on 6 January 2025 
Interest  in  the  programme  remained  strong,  with  88  803  eligible  proposals  submitted1 
over  the  period  2021-2024.  Quality  remained  stable  overall,  and  more  than  half  of  the 
eligible proposals (54%) reached the minimum evaluation score threshold.  

By January 2025, 14 592 proposals  had been  retained for funding, for a total estimated 
budget of EUR 43 billion. The success rate of proposals was 16.4%. 

However, due to a lack of funds only around 30% of proposals that passed the minimum 
threshold  for  funding  are  being  financed.  An  additional  EUR 81.7 billion  would  have 
been needed to fund all such proposals submitted in 2021-2024. 

Funded projects 

Source: Horizon Projects Dashboard frozen on 6 January 2025 

Following the evaluation of the proposals until the end of 2024, EUR 43.2 billion was 
awarded through 15 148 grants. Some grants were still under preparation at the end of 
2024. 

The  average  grant  size  is  EUR  2.9  million.  Average  EU  funding  allocated  to  mono-
beneficiary grants (45% of grants) is around EUR 1.2 million while it is around EUR 4.2 

1 Number of eligible proposals submitted only under calls that are closed and fully evaluated. 

5 

 
 
 
million  for  multi-beneficiary  grants  (55%  of  grants).  The  latter  involve  an  average  of 
11.5 participants. 

Programme part 

Eligible 
proposals 

Accepted 
proposals 

Pillar 1 - Excellent Science 

Success 
rate of 
proposals 
(% of 
eligible) 

EU 
contribution 
requested in 
retained 
proposals (in 
million EUR) 

Signed 
grants 

Average 
grant 
size (in 
million 
EUR)  

EU 
contribu-
tion in 
signed 
grants (in 
million 
EUR) 

European Research 
Council (ERC) 

Marie Skłodowska-
Curie Actions 
(MSCA) 

Research 
infrastructures 

30 413 

4 404 

14.5% 

7 849 

4 182 

7 319 

1.8 

27 366 

4 473 

16.3% 

2 596 

4 704 

2 641 

0.6 

399 

167 

41.9% 

1 181 

173 

1 214 

7 

Pillar II - Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness 

2 502 

2 311 

562 

330 

22.5% 

14.3% 

4 590 

1 135 

565 

322 

4 312 

991 

7.6 

3.1 

1 022 

136 

13.3% 

600 

145 

611 

4.2 

5 655 

1 091 

19.3% 

8 083 

1 094 

7 439 

6.8 

5 291 

1 091 

20.6% 

7 946 

1 159 

7 945 

6.9 

3 408 

763 

22.4% 

4 636 

720 

4 190 

5.8 

Cluster 1 - Health 

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 

6 289 

554 

8.8% 

1 650 

1 114 

2 925 

2.6 

1 330 

267 

20.1% 

307 

272 

297 

1.1 

25 

20 

80% 

1 189 

26 

1 741 

66.9 

The European 
Innovation Council 
(EIC)* 

European innovation 
ecosystems 

The European 
Institute of 
Innovation and 
Technology (EIT) 

Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area 

6 

 
 
Widening 
participation and 
spreading excellence 

Reforming and 
enhancing the 
European R&I 
system 

Total  for  Horizon 
Europe 

2 509 

647 

25.8% 

1 464 

583 

1 398 

2.4 

283 

87 

30.7% 

197 

89 

193 

2.2 

88 803 

14 592 

16.4% 

43 425  15 148 

43 215 

2.85 

Table 1. Proposals and signed grants per pillar and programme part (Source: Horizon Projects Dashboard frozen on 
6 January 2025) 

*Figures for EIC Accelerator (proposals) are not included. 

Addressing EU policy priorities 

Source: Horizon Europe Performance Programme Statement 

R&I  play  a  central  role  in  accelerating  the  green  transition.  So  far,  Horizon  Europe  is 
well on track to meet its target of 35% of spending allocated to address climate change, 
while  preliminary  estimates  indicate  that  7.7%  of  the  programme’s  spending  for  2021-
2027 is allocated to biodiversity. 

In  addition,  21.2%  of  Horizon  Europe  contributes  to  the  digital  transformation,  with 
investments in digital technologies set at EUR 11 657 million between 2021 and 2024.  

In  2024,  an  estimated  EUR  104  million  was  also  allocated  to  projects  whose  principal 
objective  is  to  improve  gender  equality  and  EUR  1  391  million  to  projects  that  will 
contribute to gender equality.  

Applicants and beneficiaries 

Source: Horizon Projects Dashboard frozen on 6 January 2025 

The  projects  signed  in  the  first  four  years  of  the  programme  involve  28  136  unique 
participants from 171 different countries, with 35.8% of participants from SMEs. On 
average,  each  participant  takes  part  in  3.6  projects.  Participants  from  Member  States 
represent nearly 82% of all eligible applications submitted, and 19.8% are from widening 
countries. 

The table shows a shift in application distribution between associated and non-associated 
countries.  Associated  countries  now  account  for  12.6%  of  all  applications,  while  non-
associated countries make up 5.6%. This reversal from January 2023 is largely due to the 
UK’s new associated country status. 

7 

 
 
 
Country group 

Applicati
ons in 
eligible 
proposals 

% of 
total 
number 
of  
applicati
ons 

Success 
rate of 
applicati
on 

Particip
ation in 
signed 
grants 

% of 
all 
partici
pation 

EU 
contributi
on in 
signed 
grants (in 
million 
EUR) 

% of 
total EU 
contribut
ion in 
signed 
grants 

Member States  

380 816 

81.8% 

20.3% 

85 351 

84% 

39 451 

91.3% 

    Non-widening 
countries 

288 513 

62.0% 

21.0% 

67 441  66.4% 

33 498 

77.5% 

    Widening countries 

92 303 

19.8% 

18.0% 

17 910  17.6% 

5 952 

13.8% 

Associated countries 

58 817 

12.6% 

18.3% 

10 200 

10% 

Associated  countries  – 
without the UK 

30 271 

6.5% 

17.8% 

5 841 

5.7% 

Associated – UK only 

28 546 

Non-associated 
countries 

25 990 

6.1% 

5.6% 

18.8% 

4 359 

4.3% 

21.5% 

6 045 

6.0% 

3 238 

2 850 

388 

526 

7.4% 

6.6% 

0.9% 

1.2% 

TOTAL 

465 623 

21.9% 

20.1%  101 596  100% 

43 215 

100% 

Table 2: Applicants’ origin  

The  highest  share  of  participants  comes  from  higher  education  institutions  (34%), 
receiving the highest financial contribution (EUR 15 billion). Private sector entities and 
research organisations represent 30.7% and 21.9% of participation respectively and each 
receives a similar contribution (EUR 11.9 billion).   

The  number  of  new  participants  in  the  programme  continues  to  increase.  New 
participants represent 51.1% of all participants, compared to 47% a year ago. However, 
their participation rate (i.e. the number of projects joined on average by each participant) 
remains low compared to the old-timers (1.25 versus 6). Newcomers mainly come from 
the private sector, particularly from SMEs, and have been granted 11.6% of all Horizon 
Europe funds so far.  

Overall, Member States were awarded EUR 39.5 billion or 91.3% of the funds. Widening 
countries were awarded 13.8% of the funds. Associated countries were awarded 7.4% or 
just  over  EUR  3  billion  and  non-associated  countries  1.2%  or  EUR  526  million.  The 
observations made regarding participation also apply to share of funding. With the UK’s 
association,  the  distribution  of  total  funding  between  associated  and  non-associated 
countries has altered significantly compared to January 2023.  

Key impact pathways 

Data Source: KIP dashboard frozen on 6 January 2025 

Key  impact  pathways  (KIPs)  were  introduced  in  Horizon  Europe  to  track  the 
programme’s  impact  through  short-,  medium-,  and  long-term  indicators.  This  section 
provides  an  overview  of  short-term  indicators.  A  total  of  6  922  peer-reviewed 

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publications (KIP 1) have emerged from Horizon Europe. A total of 10 222 publications, 
including  non-peer-reviewed  articles,  have  been  reported  under  Horizon  Europe,  with 
over  79%  available  in  open  access  via  beneficiaries  (KIP  3).  Additionally,  124 
intellectual property  rights  outputs  have been declared (KIP 7). Horizon  Europe is  also 
facilitating the upskilling of 95 156 researchers (KIP 2), with women representing 44.1% 
of them. Moreover, the programme has created and/or maintained 39 543 jobs (expressed 
as  full-time  equivalents)  in  the  EU  (KIP  8).  Co-investments  totalling  EUR 10.2  billion 
have already been mobilised by participants to implement R&I projects (KIP 9).  

However, only 983 projects (6.5%) had been closed at the time of this analysis and only 
21% of projects had completed periodic reporting, therefore the number of reported and 
quantifiable results is expected to increase by 2025.   

Focus on European partnerships 

Data Source: Horizon Projects dashboard frozen on 6 January 2025 

As  of  January  2025,  50  European  partnerships  had  been  identified  and  another  ten 
announced  in  the  second  2025-2027  strategic  plan,  of  which  three  were  still  pending 
signature.  

Under  the  10  active  joint  undertakings  (institutionalised  partnerships  based  on 
Article 187 TFEU), 530 grants have been signed for a total of EUR 4.8 billion (or 11% 
of  Horizon  Europe  funds  granted  over  2021-2024).  Those  involve  4  281  organisations 
(engaged in  9 186  projects), two thirds of which are private companies.  Of those, 44% 
are  SMEs.  81%  of  the  EU  funds  are  directed  to  activities  supporting  the  digital  and 
climate transitions. An additional EUR 3.86 billion was brought in by the beneficiaries, 
representing 45% of the total project investments.  

EUR 4 billion from Horizon Europe supported 11 co-programmed partnerships, with 
589 grants to 4 753 distinct organisations, a third of which were SMEs.  

As regards co-funded partnerships, grant agreements were signed with 14 consortia of 
beneficiaries under pillar II and with one consortium under pillar III for a total of EUR 
1.17 billion. Partners are expected to contribute between 50% and 70% of the funds, or 
an additional EUR 2.5 billion for R&I.  

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

In 2024, 82 start-ups were founded by students from EIT programmes and 112 start-ups 
were  born  out  of  EIT  innovation  projects.  Additionally,  through  the  Deep  Tech  Talent 
Initiative,  388  partners  pledged  to  train  over  1  million  individuals  by  2025,  with  more 
than  900 000  receiving  training  by  2024.  By  December  2024,  the  European  Battery 
Alliance Academy run by the EIT KIC InnoEnergy had met its goal of training 100 000 
learners by 20252. Furthermore, the European Commission confirmed the upcoming new 
EIT KIC on Water, Marine, and Maritime Sectors and Ecosystems. 

2 Targeted figures only. The verified results will be available later in 2025. 

9 

 
 
Focus on EU missions 

Source: Horizon Proposals and Project Dashboards frozen on 6 January 2025 

By  the  end  of  2024,  54  Horizon  Europe  mission  calls  had  been  launched,  closed  and 
evaluated. Those attracted 862 eligible proposals. 236 Horizon Europe grants involving 
3302 beneficiaries have been signed for a total of EUR 1 842 million, with the funding 
split as follows across the five missions:  

Key achievements of the missions in 2024 include the following:  

•  The  ‘Cancer’  mission  hosted  a  high-level  conference  on  innovative  palliative  care, 
presenting policy developments and solutions from EU-funded projects, and issued a 
policy  brief  outlining  future  challenges.  Additionally,  a  roadshow  held  in  Poland, 
Lithuania and Romania reached nearly 11 million people, raising awareness of cancer 
prevention and screening. 

•  The  ‘Adaptation  to  Climate  Change’  mission continues  to  support  145  regions  to 
assess their climate risk, develop pathways to climate resilience or develop adaptation 
plans. 

•  The  ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030’ mission provided additional funding 
of  EUR  127  million  to  support  local  communities  and  to  further  develop  the 
European Digital Twin of the Ocean. The first prototype was delivered at the Digital 
Ocean Forum in June. 

•  The  mission  ‘100  Climate-Neutral  and  Smart  Cities  by  2030’  saw  43  additional 
cities awarded the Mission Label in 2024. A EUR 2 billion lending envelope by the 
European Investment Bank was launched, to support cities with the Mission Label 
to plan for green and sustainable investments.  

•  The mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’ set up the first 25 living labs, encompassing 
around  250  testing  sites  involving  167  partners  (25%  private  sector)  in  11  Member 
States. 

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3.3. 

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

Several reports have been published in 2024, including: 

•  a monitoring flash on the contribution of the framework programme to the field of 

hydrogen since 2007; 

•  a  monitoring  flash  summarising  key  facts  and  data  on  SME  participation  in 

Horizon Europe; 

•  a monitoring flash on country participation in Horizon Europe. 

Horizon Europe mid-term evaluation 

The  expert  group  report  on  the  interim  evaluation  of  Horizon  Europe,  ‘Align,  act, 
accelerate’,  was  published.  The  experts  gave  recommendations  for  making  the 
programme more effective at aligning R&I with Europe’s strategic goals. Moreover, the 
Commission released several evaluations and reports focused on specific impact areas of 
Horizon  Europe  and  its  predecessor  (green  transition,  resilient  Europe,  innovative 
Europe).  

3.4. 

Dissemination and exploitation 

More  than  5  000  beneficiaries  have  already  been  supported  by  the  Horizon  Results 
Platform  and  Horizon  Boosters.  The  Commission  provided  Cordis  Results  Packs  and 
Boosters on: 

•  Environmental observations for the EU Green Deal 

•  Blue carbon for biodiversity and climate action 

•  Understanding impacts of climate change on Earth’s vulnerable polar regions 

•  Reducing and preventing drivers of marine biodiversity loss 

•  Tackling marine litter from source to sea 

•  Algae innovation 

•  Diving deeper: propelling ocean knowledge and its sustainable management 

Examples of other notable publications and outreach events include the following: 

•  Environmental  observations  and  artificial  intelligence  for  the  benefit  of  science 

and society 

•  Mapping ERC frontier research artificial intelligence 

•  Biodiversity: the nexus approach  

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•  EU-funded projects leading the way to transformative change for biodiversity 

•  Frontier research for transformative change  

• 

Insights from the authors of the IPCC 6th assessment report on knowledge gaps 
and priorities for research  

•  Frontier research for democracy 

•  Awareness-raising campaign on knowledge valorisation  

•  R&I for a fair green transition 

•  R&I for a fair digital transition 

3.5. 

Implementation and monitoring of the Euratom programme 

a)  Nuclear direct actions implemented by the JRC 

In 2024 the JRC published 90 peer-reviewed articles on diverse nuclear research topics. 
It  produced  10  reference  materials,  incorporated  into  nuclear  libraries,  10  technical 
systems  for  nuclear  safeguards,  and  three  contributions  to  international  standards.  It 
provided  37  specialised  training  courses  for  over  900  beneficiaries  from  the  EU, 
Ukraine  and  other  countries.  Over  350  nuclear  safeguards  inspectors  and  officers 
received training through the European Nuclear Security Training Centre (EUSECTRA). 
A total of 59 EU and Ukrainian researchers used the JRC’s nuclear research facilities. 

As  Euratom’s  implementing  body  for  the  Generation  IV  International  Forum,  the  JRC 
hosted key meetings and conducted research on Generation IV systems. 

The  JRC  supported  the  Commission’s  response  to  Russia’s  illegal  war  of  aggression 
against Ukraine by providing technical expertise for sanction packages and conducting 
benchmarking on radiological dispersion with European radiation protection authorities. 

b)  Indirect  actions  of  the  Euratom  Research  &  Training  Programme 

(grants) 

In 2024, the Commission initiated 21 nuclear research projects, including partnerships on 
radioactive waste management and nuclear materials, funded with EUR 121 million from 
the  Euratom  programme.  Nearly  EUR 48  million  was  allocated  to  nuclear  power  plant 
safety, and EUR 11 million supported ionising radiation applications.  

Following a Euratom work programme amendment, the Commission launched two new 
initiatives: a future public-private fusion energy partnership and a European nuclear skills 
initiative.  The  ex  post  evaluation  of  the  2014-2020  Euratom  Research  and  Training 
Programme was published. 

Furthermore,  the  Commission  launched  a  second  project  to  strengthen  nuclear  fuel 
supply security for Russian-designed nuclear power plants in Europe and Ukraine. 

Lastly, the Commission established the European Industrial Alliance on Small Modular 
Reactors  (SMRs),  aiming  at  the  deployment  of  the  EU’s  first  SMR.  This  was 

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underpinned  by  direct  and  indirect  actions  on  the  safe  design,  security,  safeguards, 
construction and operation of SMRs.  

4. 

OUTLOOK 2025 

In  2025,  the  Commission  is  planning  to  adopt  the  Horizon  Europe  ‘main’  work 
programmes for 2025 and for 2026-2027. The two work programmes will contribute to 
the key strategic orientations of the second Horizon Europe strategic plan 2025-2027 as 
well  as  to  the  overarching  Commission  political  priorities  for  2024-2029.  The  work 
programmes will also contribute to the Commission’s simplification efforts, in particular 
making  the  programme  more  accessible  to  applicants  and  simplifying  reporting  for 
beneficiaries. 

Furthermore,  the  Commission  is  set  to  propose  the  next  Multiannual  Financial 
Framework, incorporating insights from a broad public consultation to align R&I funding 
with future funding priorities. Initiatives in 2025, such as the Competitiveness Compass 
and the Clean Industrial Deal, as well as the forthcoming Start-up and Scale-up Strategy, 
will ensure that the EU stays at the forefront of R&I. These initiatives will help address 
future challenges and leverage opportunities for sustainable growth. 

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