In November, EP adopted the programme “Horizon 2020” with a budget of EUR 80 Billion in the programming period 2014-2020. Structured on three pillars, the programme will have direct impact on social and economic development. The transport sector will receive the highest financing share of all the other components of the pillar it belongs to with funds amounting to over EUR 6 Billion.
Since the launch of the programme within FP7, the EU economic context changed facing crisis situations which affected all economic segments which saw the authorities in need of initiating vital measures and policies of economic growth. The greatest challenge consists in stabilizing the economic and financial system and adopting measures to create economic opportunities for the future. Research and innovation will help create jobs, increase life quality and trigger the necessary technological progress to approach the urgent problems of the society. Investments in this area will also lead to business opportunities by creating innovating pro-
ducts and services. Prioritized in the Europe 2020 Strategy, research and innovation will significantly influence the promotion and construction of an intelligent, sustainable and society-favourable growth.
These aspects lead to the adoption in November 2013 of the European framework programme for Research, Development and Innovation “Horizon 2020”. With a budget of EUR 80 Million distributed over the next 7 years, Horizon 2020 is EU’s largest research programme and one of the few programmes in the new programming period that benefits from increasing funds by around 30% more compared to FP7 (programme benefiting from EUR 55 Billion). By mid-December, member states have to give their final agreement before the first proposal demands within Horizon 2020.
“After long negotiations, the Horizon 2020 package was approved promoting scientific excellence, consolidating the industrial sector and supporting the SMSs”, declared Amalia Sartori, President of the Industry, Research and Energy Committee and Chief Negotiator of the Parliament on the 5 legislative documents.
For EU, Horizon 2020 is a completely new type of research programme designed for sustainable development, new jobs and improved life quality. Built on three major components, excellence, in the scientific sector, competitiveness in the industrial segment and societal challenges, the programme will finance all types of activities, from scientific to market adapted innovation leading to a direct economic stimulus.
Key elements of Horizon 2020 include financing increase for the European Research Council, the conclusion of innovating public-private partnership in different sectors, approach based on the challenges the society is facing, such as climate change and intelligent and eco-friendly transport, renewing the approach on the extension of participation of less performing EU countries, including creating a better synergy with structural funds and EU investment funds. Funds worth EUR 17 Billion have been allocated to the industrial sector, for societal challenges, EUR 29.7 Billion, and for scientific excellence (including financing for individual research within the European Council for Research and Marie Skłodowska-Curie) EUR 24.4 Billion. The European Innovation and Technology Institute (EIT) will receive EUR 2.7 Billion, which is 3.5% of EU’s total budget for research and innovation. Due to different legislations, the budget for the Euratom research programme was set on 5 years (2014-2018), at a cost of EUR 1.6 Billion and EUR 770 Million funds for 2019-2020.
The programme will be opened to all EU member states, while the countries outside the EU will have the possibility to implement projects in the programme by meeting applications and setting an association agreement or partnership with a third country.
Over 6 Billion for transport
In the transport sector, the program will focus on the intelligent, eco-friendly and integrated mobility projects. The third pillar of the programme, “societal challenges”, holds the largest share of financing allocations (38.53%) and includes the transport segment, which in turn, benefits from the largest allocation of its group, 8.3%, with funds worth EUR 6.339 Billion.
Through Horizon 2020, the Commission will struggle to have a more balanced approach in the implementation of the programme considering the specific of each mode of transport, an approach which re-conciles competitiveness with sustainabi-lity and which invests in both technology and socio-economic research projects.
Four transport priorities are included in Horizon 2020: the development of a much more sustainable system (efficient and with the smallest environment impact), creating a single system, increasing competitiveness by promoting and developing the industry as global leader and dealing with the appropriate socio-economic research and future-oriented activities in elaborating policies.
Also, the activity carried out within the Strategic Transport Technology Plan (STTP) will help focus on the research and innovation activities through Horizon 2020.
For establishing a single system, it is necessary to supply improved mobi-
lity, to increase safety and security, reduce congestion and create new concepts for freight and logistics transport, to reduce accidents and improve security. The significant reduction of congestion is a goal to be achieved by supporting multimodal transport, information, the payment system and increasing the quality of passenger and freight transport by optimising accessibility management. Interoperability across the railway network has to be established, as well as the efficient use of infrastructure and new applications of position, navigation and timetables. All these are related to the intelligent technology to be used in the transport system.
If in the previous years, the EU focused on research, in the years to come it will focus on innovation. In transport, the decision makers want to launch completely new and modern systems, not just indivi-dual means, but also connections between different transport modes, such as railway, road and maritime. Railway research and innovation is important for an efficient transport which respects the environment with energy storage and energy supply technologies, cleaner and more silent vehicles, intelligent equipment and more developed infrastructure and services. Transport can thus be optimised, not only in Europe, but also in urban areas.
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