Horizon Europe continues to be a major driver of economic and societal benefits. According to an evaluation published today by the European Commission, every euro of EU contribution is estimated to generate up to €11 in GDP gains by 2045 in terms of economic growth.
With a total budget of €93.5 billion, Horizon Europe lies at the heart of Europe’s global competitiveness and innovation leadership. The evaluation highlights the following key conclusions:
- Impact: As of January 2025, Horizon Europe has funded more than 15,000 projects with a combined budget exceeding €43 billion. Projects include fuel cell electric buses, new antibiotics, and accessible artificial intelligence technologies for the scientific community.
- Scientific Excellence: 80% of projects funded by the European Research Council have led to scientific breakthroughs. Since 1984, EU research programmes have supported 35 Nobel Prize winners.
- Innovation: Every €1 invested through the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund has attracted over €3 from private investors. This demonstrates that the EIC—introduced under Horizon Europe—is a game-changer in the EU’s support for startups and scaleups.
- Participation: The participation rate of Widening countries increased to 58%, compared to 47% in the Horizon 2020 Programme.
- Simplification: Projects funded through the lump sum funding scheme are estimated to reduce administrative costs by 14% to 30% over the project duration, generating total savings of €63 million to date.
Next Steps
The evaluation report notes that the Commission plans to further simplify application processes and increase targeted support for researchers and entrepreneurs, and that future Horizon Europe Work Programmes will include measures to simplify the application process and project implementation.
You can access the press release made by the Commission via the link.