Have your say on the next generation of ambitious research and innovation partnerships

How can the EU best support impactful, inclusive research and innovation partnerships with industry, Member States and other stakeholders? Now you can share your views on the 12 proposed institutionalised partnerships under Horizon Europe, the next EU research and innovation programme (2021-2027). The consultation is a key step in assessing the overall need for and focus of specific research and innovation partnerships.

Research and innovation partnerships play a crucial role in tackling global challenges, from pioneering new ways to control disease outbreaks to developing greener public transport and speeding up the use of bio-based renewable products. They provide a strong added value in their ability to leverage resources and pool expertise across sectors, and to generate impact.

Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, said:

Building on the successes of the existing partnerships under Horizon 2020, we want to set more ambitious objectives, increase synergies with other initiatives and engage new partners. Your opinions on what we are proposing today will help to sharpen the focus on where, and how, partnerships’ impact would be strongest.

The proposed partnerships cover the following topics:

• - 

  EU-Africa research partnership on health security to tackle infectious diseases
• - 

  Innovative Health Initiative
• - 

  Key Digital Technologies
• - 

  Smart Networks and Services
• - 

  European Metrology
• - 

  Transforming Europe's rail system
• - 

  Integrated Air Traffic Management
• - 

  Clean Aviation
• - 

  Circular bio-based Europe
• - 

  Clean Hydrogen
• - 

  Safe and Automated Road Transport
• - 

  Innovative SMEs

The input collected will feed into the impact assessment work for these candidate partnerships, together with earlier feedback gathered on the inception impact assessments published in July. Additionally, partnerships will be discussed during a dedicated session at the European Research and Innovation Days on 26 September 2019.

The Commission invites anyone with an interest in future research and innovation partnerships to participate in the survey, which will close on 6 November 2019.

Background

Following the Commission's proposal for Horizon Europe in June 2018, 12 candidates for institutionalised partnerships within 8 partnership areas have been proposed, based on the political agreement with the European Parliament and Council on Horizon Europe reached in April 2019.

Horizon Europe will take a new and more impact-focused approach to partnerships. This approach aims at a consolidated and rationalised number of partnerships that avoid overlaps and duplication and that are better aligned with policy priorities. Whether these proposed institutionalised partnerships will go ahead in this form under the next research and innovation programme is still subject to a corresponding impact assessment.