New Horizon 2020 budget cuts?

By Ingemar Pongratz

The new Work Programs for the European Union Horizon 2020 research and Innovation funding scheme are scheduled to be available in October 2015. In the mean time we at Fenix Scientific / Pongratz Consulting are busy studying the changes compared to the previous Horizon 2020 work program and how these affect our clients.

The Horizon 2020 budget was reduced following an intense debate during 2015. The European Commission launched in 2015 the European Fund for Strategic Investment also known as the Juncker Plan, and as a result considerable budget re-allocations took place among different EU funding instruments including Horizon 2020.

However, the ordeal for Horizon 2020 may not be over. In a recent report published in Science|Business magazine, Kurt Dekatelare from the League of European Research Universities (LERU) complains that the European member States are attempting once again to reduce the Horizon 2020 budget and proposing New Horizon 2020 budget cuts?. In the ongoing budget discussion the European Council has presented a proposal that would cut the amount of Horizon 2020 financial commitment to future projects and in addition reduce the budget available for payments. This would reduce the number of projects funded by the Horizon 2020 funding scheme.

LERU is concern that these new financial erosion of the Horizon 2020 funding scheme will not only lead to lower numbers of EU funded projects but will also harm the message that Europe is trying to convey of a innovation friendly economy and of the importance of research in Europe.

While the discussions continue in Brussels there are still few details on the ongoing discussions. Interestingly, Science|Business reports that the proposed cuts will not affect the ERC, the Marie Curie and the widening scheme

Fenix Scientific / Pongratz Consulting supports clients that are interested to write and submit EU funded project proposals. If you would like to contact us please send us a message using the Online Contact Form or by email to:

Ingemar.Pongratz (a) Pongratzconsulting.com

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