Horizon Europe 2028-2034: 10th EU research and innovation framework programme [EU Legislation in Progress]

Written by Clément Evroux.

CONTEXT

According to Eurostat, EU research and development expenditure relative to GDP stood at 2.26 % in 2023, while in comparison it stood respectively at 3.59 % in the United States, and 2.56 % in China (2022). In his 2024 report on the future of European Competitiveness, Mario Draghi identified this gap as one of the root causes of the EU’s lack of competitiveness. Against this backdrop, the proposed 10th EU framework programme for research and innovation should help to preserve EU research and innovation ecosystem excellence in producing world-class scientific knowledge, while improving the capacity to exploit such knowledge, in particular by scaling-up innovative technologies and solutions. While the programme’s architecture is apparently a continuation of the current 2021-2027 Horizon Europe programme, the creation of a European competitiveness fund creates a specific set of rules and governance that will apply to a substantial part of Horizon collaborative research activities.

LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL

2025/0543(COD) – Proposal for a regulation

NEXT STEPS IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

For the latest developments in this legislative procedure, see the Legislative Train Schedule:2025/0543(COD) Horizon Europe framework programme for research and innovation 2028–2034

Read the complete briefing on ‘Horizon Europe 2028-2034: 10th EU research and innovation framework programme‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.