The document summarizes key aspects of Horizon 2020, the European Union's research and innovation program from 2014 to 2020. It discusses the program's three main pillars of excellence in science, industrial leadership, and tackling societal challenges. It notes the increased focus on innovation and bringing ideas to market. It outlines the types of funding actions, eligibility requirements, evaluation criteria, and opportunities for participation by countries outside the EU like Palestine. The presentation aims to highlight opportunities for Birzeit University under Horizon 2020.

1. SIERA Workshop on
The Pillars of Horizon2020
Prof. Paolo Bouquet
University of Trento / OKKAM SL
paolo.bouquet@unitn.it / bouquet@okkam.it
SIERA (GA #295006)
Birzeit University, Palestine
02/04/2014

2. A changed context
Since the launch of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), the
economic context has changed dramatically (crisis).
Fiscal consolidation and structural reform are necessary but not
sufficient to secure Europe’s global competitiveness. Smart
investment, notably in research and innovation, is vital in order
to maintain high standards of living
Research and innovation help deliver jobs, prosperity, quality of life
and lead to business opportunities by creating innovative
products and services.
Although the Union is a global leader in many technologies, it faces
increasing competition from traditional competitors and emerging
economies alike and must therefore improve its innovation
performance.
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3. 4 5 7
13 15 19
50
77
0
20
40
60
80
100
FP! FP2 FP3 FP4 FP5 FP6 FP7 FP8
RTD Framework Programmes Budget
(Bn €)
110 Billion
Euros!
1984-1988 2007-2013 2014-2020

4. The innovation emergency

5. Key novelties
• The integration of research and innovation by
providing seamless and coherent funding from
idea to market
• More support for innovation and activities
close to the market, leading to a direct
economic stimulus;
• A strong focus on creating business
opportunities out of our response to the major
concerns common to people in Europe and
beyond, i.e. “societal challenges”
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7. Priority 1 Excellent science
Why:
• World class science is the foundation of tomorrow’s
technologies, jobs and wellbeing
• Europe needs to develop, attract and retain research
talent
• Researchers need access to the best infrastructures

8. European Research Council
Frontier research by the best individual teams
Future and Emerging Technologies
Collaborative research to open new fields of innovation
Marie Curie actions*
Opportunities for training and career development
Research infrastructures (including e-infrastructure)
Ensuring access to world-class facilities
Instruments

9. Priority 2 Industrial leadership
Why:
• Europe needs more innovative SMEs to create
growth and jobs
• Strategic investments in key technologies (e.g.
advanced manufacturing, micro-electronics)
underpin innovation across existing and emerging
sectors
• Europe needs to attract more private investment in
research and innovation

10. Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
(ICT, nanotechnologies, materials, biotechnology,
manufacturing, space)
Access to risk finance
Leveraging private finance and venture capital for research
and innovation
Innovation in SMEs
Fostering all forms of innovation in all types of SMEs
Instruments

11. Priority 3 Societal challenges
Why:
• EU policy objectives (climate, environment, energy,
transport etc) cannot be achieved without
innovation
• Breakthrough solutions come from multi-disciplinary
collaborations, including social sciences &
humanities
• Promising solutions need to be tested, demonstrated
and scaled up

12. Health, demographic change and wellbeing
Food security, sustainable agriculture, marine and maritime
research & the bioeconomy
Secure, clean and efficient energy
Smart, green and integrated transport
Climate action, resource efficiency and raw materials
Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies/Secure societies
Societal challenges (Topics)

13. Creating Industrial Leadership and
Competitive Frameworks
Leadership in enabling and industrial
technologies
ICT
Nanotech., Materials, Manuf. and
Processing
Biotechnology
Space
Access to risk finance
Innovation in SMEs
Excellence in the Science Base
Frontier research (ERC)
Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)
Skills and career development (Marie Curie)
Research infrastructures
Shared objectives and principles
Common rules, toolkit of funding schemes
Europe 2020 priorities
European Research Area
Simplified access
International cooperation
Dissemination & knowledge tranfer
Tackling Societal Challenges
Health, demographic change and wellbeing
Food security, sustainable agriculture and
the bio-based economy
Secure, clean and efficient energy
Smart, green and integrated transport
Climate action, resource efficiency and raw
materials
Inclusive, innovative and reflective
societies
Secure Societies
EIT
JRC
ICT
ICT
ICT
ICT
ICT
ICT
ICT
ICT
ICT

14. ICT in Societal Challenges (I)
– Health, demographic change & wellbeing;
e-health, self management of health, improved diagnostics,
improved surveillance, health data collection, active ageing,
assisted living
– Secure, clean and efficient energy;
Smart cities; Energy efficient buildings; smart electricity grids;
smart metering
– Smart, green and integrated transport;
Smart transport equipment, infrastructures and services;
innovative transport management systems; safety aspects

15. ICT in Societal Challenges (II)
– Food security, sustainable agriculture, marine and
maritime research & the bioeconomy
– Climate action, resource efficiency and raw materials
ICT for increased resource efficiency; earth observation and
monitoring
– Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies
Digital inclusion; social innovation platforms; e-government
services; e-skills and e-learning; e-culture
– Secure societies
Cyber security; ensuring privacy and protection of human
rights on-line

16. A new role for
Small-Medium Enterprises (SME’s)
• Integrated approach - around 20% of the total budget
for societal challenges and LEITs to go to SMEs
• Simplification of particular benefit to SMEs (e.g. single
entry point)
• A new SME instrument will be used across all societal
challenges as well as for the LEITs
• A dedicated activity for research-intensive SMEs in
'Innovation in SMEs'
• 'Access to risk finance' will have a strong SME focus
(debt and equity facility)

17. PRACTICALITIES

18. New (simplified) rules
• Single set of simpler and more coherent participation rules
• Moving from several funding rates for different
beneficiaries and activities to just two
• Replacing the four methods to calculate overhead or
«indirect costs» with a single flat rate
• Major simplification under the forthcoming financial
regulation
• Successful applicants to get working more quickly:
time-to-grant of 8 months; exceptions for the ERC and in
duly justified cases
• No negotiation of the grant agreement in future, what
is submitted will be evaluated. Potential participants
must now be aware of this.

19. The EU participant portal

20. How to find a call: the funding opps

21. Types of actions
• Research and innovation actions (R&I)
• comparable to FP7 STREPs & IPs
• Innovation actions
• comparable to CIP Pilot B projects (+ "some
research")
• Coordination and Support Actions
• similar to FP7 CSA, but no more distinction between
CA and SA

22. Research & Innovation actions
• Actions primarily consisting of activities aiming
to establish new knowledge and/or to explore
the feasibility of a new or improved technology,
product, process, service or solution.
• For this purpose they may include basic and
applied research, technology development and
integration, testing and validation on a small-
scale prototype in a laboratory or simulated
environment.

23. Innovation actions
• Actions primarily consisting of activities directly
aiming at producing plans and arrangements or
designs for new, altered or improved
products, processes or services
• For this purpose they may include prototyping,
testing, demonstrating, piloting, large-scale
product validation and market replication

24. Coordination and Support Actions
Actions consisting primarily of accompanying
measures such as standardisation,
dissemination, awareness-raising and
communication, networking, coordination or
support services, policy dialogues and mutual
learning exercises and studies, including
design studies for new infrastructure and
may also include complementary activities of
networking and coordination between
programmes in different countries.

25. Eligibility conditions
Research and Innovation actions
• At least 3 mutually independent legal entities, each
established in different MS/AC
Innovation actions
• At least 3 mutually independent legal entities, each
established in different MS/AC
Coordination and Support Actions
• One legal entity established in a Member State or
associated country

26. Grant
One reimbursement rate by action (same rate for all all
activities):
• Up to 100% for Research and Innovation actions (and CSA)
• Up to 70% for innovation (non-profit entities up to 100%) and
programme co-fund actions.
• WP may specify a different reimbursement rate
One method for calculation of indirect costs:
• Flat rate of 25% of total direct costs, excluding subcontracting,
costs of third parties and financial support to third parties
• If provided in WP, lump sum or unit costs
No-profit rule (as in FP7)

27. Evaluation criteria / scoring / weights
Criteria: Excellence / Impact / Implementation
• As in FP7: each criterion scored out of 5;
individual threshold of 3; overall threshold of 10
• For Innovation Actions
• Impact criterion weighted by factor of 1.5
• For Research and Innovation Actions:
• No weighting of evaluation criteria

28. H2020 for non-EU contries
Applicants from non-EU countries (or «third
countries») are always free to take part in
H2020 programmes
However, they are not always automatically
entitled to funding!

29. Opportunities for Palestine / Birzeit
The good news is that Palestine is among
the countries which are automatically
eligible
In addition, there are calls which are
especially targeted to non-EU countries
(search for Middle East in the participant
portal)

30. Example

31. Conclusions
• H2020 can be a great opportunity for
Birzeit University and Palestine
• However:
• Project ideas should not focus on your
problems, but on EU challenges
• We need to build convincing arguments for
EU partners to include BU in a consortium
• The business orientation is extremely
important (no curiosity-driven research!)
• Find the right travelling companions

32. THANKS!