Horizon 2020: a speedy guide and beneficial tricks to apply

Horizon 2020 - the 8th European Framework Programme for Analysis and Innovation - offers several fantastic possibilities for academic researchers and aspiring entrepreneurs. Dr Eva Servoli, University of Geneva, presents Horizon 2020 vision and ambitions and provides us a speedy guide and some useful guidelines for preparing the application. Get additional information regarding

H2020

With Horizon 2020 and its EUR 80 billion spending budget in grants, the European Commission empowers scientists and research-intensive companies of any size to make a concrete impact around the scientific, societal and financial progress of European nations, Switzerland incorporated. The final aim is giving and implementing successful solutions for the benefits of citizens coping with the challenges of our fast-changing world. Customized medicine, cleaner environment, new models for inclusive societies, user-friendly and secured processes covering all elements of daily life are only few examples of how Horizon 2020 can solve societal challenges and adjust the game in Europe and beyond.



The philosophy of Horizon 2020

How can these ambitious - when important study goals - be achieved? By altering the way we carry out R&D and by involving citizens and policy makers as essential components of the innovation process, until novel technologies, products and services become part of a better every day life.



The philosophy of Horizon 2020 opens up the opportunity of making the best use of the enormous amount of knowledge and talents of our academic institutes and innovative companies. The calls are designed to foster international collaborations, integrate soft and hard sciences, share and consolidate available data, set common targets between the public and private sector whilst keeping in mind the central role of the citizen and the end beneficiary. The future competitiveness of European science and economy will strongly depend on how academia and industry will be able to meet this challenge.



Knowledge is power

Yes but true knowledge, combined with trustful and transparent facts, can only be achieved by sharing. That’s why Horizon 2020 stresses around the value of exchanging ideas without borders (Open Innovation, Open Science, Open to the World). It goes in the same direction as the recent implementation of the Open Data policy for funded projects, which aims at making available to everyone data and results generated during the execution of European projects.