First informal assessment of Horizon Europe

The feedback they collected on the first year of implementation of Horizon Europe is mixed. Most respondents stated that Horizon Europe will strengthen Europe’s overall R&D capacity, and 88% praised its scope and objectives, as well as its potential to make a big difference on its targeted goals (healthcare, technology competitiveness, finding solutions to address climate change, and so on).

However, many issues were also raised. The vast majority of respondents regretted that the odds of winning a grant remain too low, and some said the calls are difficult to interpret, not science-driven enough, and impact-driven to a point where no one project can meet all the demands.

Respondents highlighted that they hoped to see more space for science in the application form, and fewer pages on the project’s other aspects, such as open science policy, climate-friendliness, and data management principles. With a better balance between the administrative and scientific content in place, most seem to be fine with the new 45-page proposal limit.

The lack of clarity regarding the situation of British and Swiss researchers and organisations was criticised, as was the rocky start of Horizon Europe, the late publication of the work programme, and the timing of many calls (opening date in June, closing date in September).Many barriers to participation from EU-13 countries were also indicated by respondents.

The Science Europe Working Group on Horizon Europe will discuss the outcomes of this survey.