“The Heitor report": interim evaluation of Horizon Europe

On 16 October, the high-level group on the interim evaluation of Horizon Europe published their report,  “Align, Act, Accelerate: Research, Technology and Innovation to boost European Competitiveness”. This is one of several expected to inform the Commission’s drafting of the next framework programme (FP10), due mid-2025.

© European Union, 2024 

12 recommendations for the next framework programme 

Chaired by Manuel Heitor, former Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education in Portugal, the expert group highlighted the EU framework programme’s added value for research and education, presenting twelve recommendations.

One recommendation is to increase the overall R&I budget to €220 billion from the current €93.5 billion to enhance Europe’s competitiveness. The report also calls for expanded funding for the European Research Council (ERC), the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) to attract talent.

A notable recommendation is to establish two new independent entities to steer collaborative research: an Industrial Competitiveness and Technology Council and a European Societal Challenges Council. This would shift most programme management for the next framework programme outside the Commission, addressing concerns over declining industry involvement in Horizon Europe and Commission control over funding decisions. More about the recommendations can be read here. 

A “transformative agenda”

The expert group advocates for a “transformative agenda” to address core themes they call “spheres of action”, due to their structural interdependencies and interrelations. These spheres include promoting competitive excellence in R&I, fostering industrial competitiveness though strategic R&I initiatives, promoting societal transformations by addressing societal challenges, and strengthening the European RD&I ecosystem. They propose launching this “transformative agenda” through specific actions in the remaining years of Horizon Europe (2025-2027) and embedding them in the next framework programme.

Many unanswered questions about the next framework programme

There are still many uncertainties regarding the future of R&I funding. All these questions combined with speculation and leaked documents led the League of European Research Universities (LERU) to call upon European R&I Commissioner Iliana Ivanova and Director-General for R&I Marc Lemaître to provide clarity on the matter as soon as possible. The tenth Framework Programme (FP10) for research and innovation is expected in the first half of 2025, but this could be delayed.