JOINHorizon Europe slated to double its budget while remaining a standalone programme
On 16 July, the European Commission presented the first draft of its 2028-34 budget, which includes €175 billion for Horizon Europe — nearly double its current funding. Horizon Europe would remain a standalone programme, although the €175 billion would be part of the €409 billion European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) and the €1.8 trillion Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF).
Negotiations on the budget are expected to continue for two more years, and the sum allocated for Horizon Europe could still be reduced significantly. Nevertheless, this is a strong starting point for the flagship research and development programme, and good news for stakeholders who feared it would be dismantled and absorbed into the ECF. Read more about the proposal here.