EU governments have agreed a partial negotiating position on the next Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, covering the 2028 to 2034 EU budget cycle.
The position sets out the Council of the EU’s approach to the regulation for Horizon Europe — the EU’s 10th framework programme for research and innovation — and a separate decision that establishes the “specific programme” to implement it, the Council announced on Friday.
It is “partial” because it does not cover financial and broader cross-cutting issues that are being negotiated as part of the EU’s next multiannual financial framework (MFF), the seven-year spending plan for 2028-2034.
Parts linked to upcoming legislative initiatives on the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) are also excluded.
Nicodemos Damianou, Cyprus’s deputy minister for research, innovation and digital policy, said research and innovation were among Europe’s “greatest strategic assets.”
Four pillars, partnerships and simpler rules
The Council’s position keeps Horizon Europe organised around four “pillars”, with changes to each one, the Council stated.
It added that Pillar I, “Excellent Science”, would adjust governance of the European Research Council and add a focus on early-career researchers.
Pillar II, “Competitiveness and Society”, would set out more detail on its “society” component and maintain a balance between bottom-up research and policy priorities.
Pillar III would expand the European Innovation Council’s role, including allowing limited support for defence-related applications, while Pillar IV would give the Council a larger role in co-defining areas for infrastructure support and further develop measures designed to widen participation across the EU.
Links to the planned European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) — a proposed EU investment instrument referenced in the next budget plans — are also set out, with the Council describing a “tight link” between Horizon Europe and the fund, while saying Horizon Europe would remain a stand-alone programme.
The Council also said it wanted clearer provisions for “European partnerships” between the EU and public or private partners, such as industry associations, member states, universities and foundations, and a stronger role for the Council and its advisory bodies in identifying priority areas and shaping their direction.
Separately, the Council declared it backed simplification measures, including clearer rules on eligibility and proposal evaluation, broader use of lump-sum funding, and reduced reporting requirements.
It also cited simplified cost options for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions — an EU scheme that supports researcher training and career development — and the use of personnel “unit costs” to make reimbursement of staff costs less complex.
The Council noted further that its text includes a framework on “research security”, with measures to identify and mitigate risks and a “risk-based and proportionate” approach to participation restrictions.
It said support in Pillar II for “dual-use” projects — work with both civilian and military applications — would be integrated from the outset, alongside additional checks on European Innovation Council support for dual-use and defence-related applications.
The partial negotiating position will be the Council’s mandate for talks with the European Parliament, while the final budget for Horizon Europe will depend on the overall agreement on the EU’s next seven-year spending plan.
The Council added that an agreement on the full MFF by the end of 2026 would allow legislation to be adopted in 2027 so funding can continue without interruption from January 2028.
