What Future for the Horizon Europe Programme Post-2027?

By Emilia Didier, Head of EU Public Affairs  

On July 16, the European Commission unveiled its legislative proposal for the eagerly awaited future R&I Framework Programme (FP10) after 2027 —one that broadly aligns with the scientific community’s expectations, though much remains to be clarified and negotiated during the next 2 years.  

The plans envisage FP10 with a budget doubled to €175 billion, its independence largely preserved, and the prestigious Horizon Europe name retained. 

While the existence of a dedicated R&I programme and its successful instruments would be maintained, the proposal also introduces significant structural changes:  

• The €175 billion budget of Horizon Europe would be fully integrated into the new European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), which will have a total envelope of €410 billion, 

• a substantial share of Pillar II’s collaborative research budget would be managed and implemented through the new European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), 

• Funding increases would not be evenly distributed—innovation funding is set to triple, while collaborative research funding would rise by only 50%, 

• Simplification is a key objective: the use of lump-sum financing would be expanded, and the number of "open" or non-thematic calls for proposals would be increased. 

Pillar 1: Frontier Research 

The Commission proposes increasing the budget for fundamental research from €25 billion (including €16 billion for ERC, €6.6 billion for MSCA) to €44 billion, directly supporting fundamental and bottom-up research, essential for Europe’s long-term competitiveness. 

This will primarily support the European Research Council (ERC)’s frontier research programme and the researcher training schemes of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). Both instruments are expected to receive substantial increases.  

This represents very positive news for scientific excellence and talent attractiveness (aligned with the “Choose Europe” initiative), especially as the research community had long called for a doubling of the ERC’s budget.  

Pillar 2: Collaborative Research 

Pillar 2 will be directly integrated into the new European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) and aligned with its strategic priorities, one of which is health, biotechnology, agriculture and the bioeconomy, which is a major change. 

Out of a total budget of €75.8 billion, €19.6 billion should be indeed dedicated specifically to life sciences in Horizon Europe (tbc). 

This represents a modest budget increase compared to Horizon Europe 9 and it comes with major restructuring, raising questions about whether open and bottom‑up approaches will be preserved to sustain collaborative research dynamics. 

Pillar 3: Innovation 

The innovation budget will nearly triple, from €13.6B to €38.7B. This pillar will primarily support the European Innovation Council (EIC), which funds start-ups and researcher-driven innovation projects and has been considered a success since 2021. It will be important to ensure that a meaningful share (notably through EIC Pathfinder) remains accessible to academic research laboratories. 

Pillar 4: Research Policy 

Funding for common European research policy will rise from €3.4B to €16.2B. This increase is largely explained by the transfer of research infrastructures from Pillar 1 (currently €2.4B) to Pillar 4. The Widening programme, supporting less research-intensive Member States, will also increase from €3B to €5.3B — a topic that will spark intense debate among governments, given their differing levels of interest in this issue. 

The Road Ahead 

These proposals represent only the Commission’s opening position. Member States, who must approve the budget, have already pushed back on the scale of ambitions, while the European Parliament is advocating for an even greater increase. The coming negotiations will be decisive for Europe’s scientific future. 

Institut Pasteur’s vision 

The Institut Pasteur is committed to engaging with policymakers and the wider research community to ensure that Horizon Europe 2027-2033 upholds scientific excellence, supports innovation, and preserves scientific freedom while addressing major health challenges.