What is each pillar looking for in Horizon Europe?

Pillar 1: Excellent Science

• European Research Council – The European Research Council, area of intervention of which is frontier science, established by the EU in 2007, is the leading European financing body for cutting-edge research. It provides attractive and flexible financing to allow brilliant and innovative individual researchers, with a focus on early-stage researchers, and their teams to follow the most promising routes at the frontier of science, based only on the criterion of excellence, through an EU-wide competition. ERC grantees have already achieved significant progress in new and developing technical domains, such as clean and digital technologies, as well as many other sectors targeted under the Horizon Europe strategic plan’s core strategic orientations.
• Marie Skłodowska -Curie Actions- The areas of intervention include supporting researchers in their training, skills and career development, fostering trans-national, cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary mobility, funding excellent doctoral and postdoctoral programmes, collaborative projects and promoting public outreach. The Marie Skodowska-Curie Actions support the creation of high-quality doctorate and postdoctoral training programmes, as well as joint research initiatives. By extensively disseminating excellence and creating criteria for high-quality researcher education and training, they have a structural influence on higher education institutions, research centres, and other organisations well outside academia.
• Research Infrastructure – Areas of intervention include consolidating and developing the landscape of European research infrastructures, opening, integrating and interconnecting research infrastructures, reinforcing European research infrastructure policy and international cooperation and consolidating and developing the innovation potential of European research infrastructures and activities for innovation and training. Research infrastructures are institutions that offer researchers with the resources and services they need to conduct research and stimulate innovation in their professions.

Pillar 2: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness

Clusters –

• Health – The goals of this cluster are to improve and safeguard residents of all ages’ health and well-being by creating new research, finding creative solutions, and incorporating a gender perspective when appropriate to prevent, diagnose, monitor, treat, and cure illnesses.
• Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society – This cluster aspires to enhance European democratic ideals, such as the rule of law and basic rights, while also preserving our cultural legacy and encouraging socio-economic transitions that promote inclusiveness and progress.
• Civil Security for Society – The issues posed by chronic security threats, such as cybercrime, as well as natural and man-made calamities, are addressed by this cluster.
• Digital, Industry and Space – The overarching vision behind the proposed investments under Cluster 4 is for Europe to shape competitive and trusted technologies for a European industry with global leadership in key areas, allowing production and consumption to respect the boundaries of our planet, and maximising the benefits for all parts of society in Europe’s diverse social, economic, and territorial contexts.
• Climate, Energy and Mobility – This cluster intends to combat climate change by improving our understanding of its causes, evolution, risks, consequences, and opportunities, as well as making the energy and transportation sectors more climate and environment-friendly, efficient and competitive, smarter, safer, and resilient.
• Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment – Through transformational changes in the economy and society in both urban and rural regions, this cluster strives to reduce environmental degradation, prevent and reverse the decrease of biodiversity on land, inland waterways, and the sea, and better manage natural resources. Through knowledge, innovation, and digitalisation in agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, and food systems, it will ensure food and nutrition security for all within planetary boundaries, as well as steer and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient circular economy and sustainable bioeconomy, including forestry.

Pillar 3: Innovative Funding

• European Innovation Council – It is primarily concerned with breakthrough, deeptech, and disruptive innovation, with a particular emphasis on market-creating innovation.
• European Innovation Ecosystems – To improve the overall ecosystem for innovation in Europe, European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE) will work in tandem with the European Innovation Council (EIC) and European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), as well as innovative activities across Horizon Europe and other EU funding programmes.
• European Institute of Innovation and Technology – The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is a non-profit organisation inside the European Union. It improves Europe’s ability to innovate by promoting innovative ideas and cultivating entrepreneurial potential.

Horizontal Pillar

Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area through bolstering EU Member States’ efforts to maximise their national research and innovation potential, developing tighter cooperation, and disseminating excellence.