Toelichting bij COM(2025)543 - Horizon Europe, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, for the period 2028-2034 laying down its rules for participation and dissemination

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dossier COM(2025)543 - Horizon Europe, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, for the period 2028-2034 laying down its rules for ...
bron COM(2025)543 EN
datum 16-07-2025



1. CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL

• Reasons and objectives

This proposal establishes the tenth Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon Europe, a key instrument for delivering the policy ambitions outlined in the Commission’s proposal for the next long-term EU budget (2028–2034) and the political priorities for 2024–2029, as set out in President von der Leyen’s guidelines - Europe’s Choice.

Building on one of Europe’s strongest brands and biggest R&I programme worldwide, —Horizon Europe, this proposal places research and innovation at the heart of the Union’s economy and investment strategy. It promotes simplicity and flexibility, enabling faster and more strategic EU spending through clearer rules and more transparent procedures for applicants and stakeholders.

The EU stands at a critical crossroads. Climate change, technological disruption, shifting geopolitics, and demographic trends are profoundly reshaping our society and economy. To remain competitive, resilient, and united, Europe must prioritise research and innovation. Only by investing in science, empowering our people and entrepreneurs, and working together, we can build a more sustainable, secure, and competitive Europe for all.

This imperative is underlined in the Draghi report on the future of EU competitiveness that placed innovation at the core of Europe’s capacity to regain productivity growth. The Letta report on the future of the single market, and the report of the Commission Expert Group on the interim evaluation of Horizon Europe also highlighted the need for the EU to increase efforts to innovate for its competitiveness, sustainability, and security.

Europe needs to increase its investments in innovation and address its weaknesses that begin with obstacles in the pipeline from innovation to commercialisation. Public sector support for R&I also needs to address the shortcomings of Europe’s R&I ecosystem and innovation performance both at national and EU levels.

In response, this proposal presents a simplified and refocused Horizon Europe aiming to strengthen the EU’s scientific and technological bases, to boost the circulation and uptake of knowledge, technology and innovation, and to leverage the EU funding instruments for maximum added value, for a catalytic effect on further public and private investments in the Member States.

Inhoudsopgave

1.

More specifically, Horizon Europe aims to:


·promote the core values of scientific freedom and openness;

·increase Europe’s excellent knowledge base by focusing on EU added value;

·improve research careers and attract the best researchers in Europe and beyond, in line with the ‘Choose Europe’ approach;

·mobilise public and private investments across the full R&I chain - from fundamental research to market commercialisation;

·contribute to increase its investments in innovation notably by supporting innovation throughout Europe and increasing coherence between EU funding schemes and Member States investments;

·harness the EU budget’s potential to reduce risk and unlock greater investment opportunities. Focus investment on EU strategic priorities, including single market, clean transition, decarbonisation, circularity, digitisation, security, resilience and social cohesion;

·improve access to EU funding through faster, user-centric, simplified, and harmonised procedures to broaden participation and accelerate results.

2.

Following the recommendations of the Draghi report, Horizon Europe will aim to:


·focus resources on strategic priorities while preserving the bottom-up nature of research;

·increase the potential of public-private partnerships thanks to a simplified landscape;

·increase support for breakthrough innovation;

·simplify access to the programme for beneficiaries.

3.

The Horizon Europe programme consists of:


·a regulation establishing the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation entitled ‘Horizon Europe’ for the period 2028-2034 (as per Article 182(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union – ‘TFEU’);

·a Specific Programme to implement ‘Horizon Europe’ (as per Article 182 i TFEU);

·an associated impact assessment (for the European Competitiveness Fund) and legal financial statements.

Horizon Europe will be tightly connected with the regulation establishing the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), to guarantee a seamless flow from fundamental research to applied research to start-ups to scale-ups, comprising the single rulebook that also applies to Horizon Europe. The programme may support dual-use actions.

4.

A Specific Programme on defence research is proposed to be established by the regulation establishing the European Competitiveness Fund for the period 2028-2034.


A single act establishing Joint Undertakings will complement the above proposals, ensuring harmonised rules.

5.

This proposal mentions 1 January 2028 as the starting date of application of the legislative acts.



• Consistency with existing policy provisions

‘Horizon Europe’ is consistent with European Union’s existing policy provisions and in line with a simpler, more focused and more impactful budget.

The Framework Programme for Research and Innovation is consistent with the European Competitiveness Compass, adopted by the Commission in January 2025, which provides a roadmap for boosting competitiveness through flagship measures under three transformational imperatives: increase its investments in innovation; a joint roadmap for decarbonisation and competitiveness, and reducing excessive dependencies and increasing security.

Together with the European Competitiveness Fund, ‘Horizon Europe’ works for strengthening competitiveness, resilience, sustainability, technological leadership, and social cohesion. They bring a major simplification both in terms of number of programmes with overlapping objectives as well as in terms of simplifying implementation: less red tape and reporting, more trust, better enforcement and faster permitting. At the same time, the proposed architecture of the programme will ensure predictability and continuity in funding priorities with the necessary agility and flexibility to allow the Union to respond to emerging or unforeseen priorities.

The key role of research and innovation in enhancing competitiveness makes public support for R&I more essential than ever, in particular at Union level where its added value is undisputed. EU-wide collaboration is crucial for addressing global challenges, especially societal and environmental ones. The proposal is fully in line with the Commission’s agenda for R&I, and provides incentives to Member States, non-profit sector and the private sector to increase investments and join efforts to reach the target of investing 3% of the Union’s GDP on research and development.

The programme will support the implementation of the Union’s policy objectives, such as the Clean Industrial Deal, the AI Continent Action Plan, the Affordable Energy Action Plan, the Industrial Action Plan for the European automotive sector, the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy, the Life Science Strategy as well as other ‘Choose Europe’ relevant initiatives.


• Consistency with other Union policies

The proposal is fully consistent with the Union policies. In line with the Commission’s priorities, it puts research and innovation at the centre of the economy. It establishes an investment capacity to boost new ideas and nurture them to new innovations at the service of the European people and beyond.

R&I is critical to the successful delivery on Union priorities in areas like health, digital technologies, clean industrial transformation, circular economy, inclusive and democratic societies, biodiversity and natural resources, energy, mobility, environment, food, decarbonisation, preparedness, space and security. R&I is at the core of enhancing productivity and the competitiveness of the Union’s economy.

R&I investment will be complementary and tightly connected with the European Competitiveness Fund, and in synergy with other programmes and instruments of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). Complementarity and synergy of R&I support and exploitation across the Union's long-term budget and with Member States will be maximised through the Competitiveness Coordination Tool (CCT) that will align industrial and research policies and investments at EU and national level around projects of common European interest or EU added value.

Based on orientation of the steering mechanism for the next MFF including the Competitiveness Coordination Tool, the Horizon Europe programme and the European Competitiveness Fund could finance a coherent sequence between research and innovation, demonstration, development and deployment, focusing efforts and funding, from the EU and national, public and private sector of ‘moonshots’ projects with a strong scientific component, boosting EU-wide value creation and strategic autonomy (see examples below) .

Possible ‘moonshots’:

·Investing in the European Organization for Nuclear Research’s (CERN) Future Circular Collider, alongside other CERN’s participating countries. The objective is to maintain Europe’s leadership in particle physics research. The funding (up to 20% of the overall cost) could come from Horizon Europe.

·Developing Smart and Clean Aviation and European leadership in the next generation CO2-free aircraft and automated air traffic management: It would require a partnership with industry, together with a strong scientific and engineering capacity, supported by Horizon Europe, but also a robust industrial deployment component from the Competitiveness Fund.

·Building the quantum computer for the future: make Europe the first continent with quantum computing fully integrated into daily life, with applications from personalised medicine to climate modelling, and solving previously impossible problems for 450 million citizens.

·Developing and applying the world’s next generation AI. It will be developed by, with, and for European scientists and industry, drawing to (and keeping in) Europe the world’s best minds. The next generation AI would open scientific and economic opportunities well beyond the current AI wave, positioning Europe at the forefront.

·Achieving critical research data sovereignty in Europe: make Europe the world’s most trusted home for critical data for research, giving European researchers, universities, and companies unparalleled competitive advantage in tackling pressing global challenges, from climate change to pandemics.

·Developing automated transport and mobility in Europe: which will improve transport safety, efficiency of traffic flow, reduce emissions, and allow for more inclusive transportation.

·Investing in innovative therapies for human regeneration for healthier lives and a stronger economy: capitalise on Europe’s research excellence and expertise in regenerative therapies and substantially strengthen Europe’s health industry, putting it in prime position to deliver innovative therapies. These therapies have the potential to address diseases that have currently no cure.

·Powering the green transition with fusion energy: the first commercial nuclear fusion power plant, able of generating safe, consistent, and reliable electricity to power homes, businesses, and hard-to-abate energy intensive industries. Overcome the scientific, engineering and technological challenges necessary for 'Europe to be the first to put Fusion on the grid by 2034'.

·Making the Moon accessible to Europeans: to achieve leadership in the space economy, Europe needs to develop the next generation of space transportation and logistics able to deploy and return massive cargo payloads as well as advanced space robotics to enable exploration and utilisation of space resources by 2040.

·Towards zero pollution of water in the EU: water resilience calls for building a true water-smart economy which secures sufficient, clean and affordable water and sanitation to all at all times, including in crises and extreme climate conditions. This requires stimulating breakthrough innovation, market uptake and large-scale end-users adoption of e.g. advanced water treatment technologies for removing harmful pollutants, water efficiency, technologies which enable sustainable water reuse or substitution, as well as nature-based solutions and desalination technologies, to ensure sufficient and clean water for industrial and domestic use, to protect and restore good water quality and availability to ecosystems, and enhance the competitiveness of EU industries.

·Building a new chapter in the discovery and exploration of our planet’s inner space through developing, connecting, governing and securing the next generation of European ocean observing technologies and capacities: from space and airborne, to floats, vessels and underwater drones and vehicles. Europe needs strategic autonomy in all ocean observation infrastructure, data and information services to strengthen its leadership in Ocean policies: from protecting and restoring ocean health and boosting the competitiveness and sustainability of its blue economy to enhancing maritime security and defence and strengthening EU ocean diplomacy.

In coordination with the European Competitiveness Fund, the Programme’s actions will be used to address market failures or sub-optimal investment situations, in a proportionate manner, without duplicating or crowding out private financing and have a clear European added value. This shall aim at ensuring consistency between the actions of the programme and EU State aid rules, avoiding undue distortions of competition in the internal market.

The proposal is also fully consistent with the approach taken under the European Semester process of economic policy coordination in support of structural reforms to improve the quality and efficiency of national research and innovation systems at three levels: firstly, through substantial investment in scientific and technological research and innovation; secondly, by making the business environment more innovation-friendly and less risk-averse; and thirdly, by ensuring that European citizens get supported through what will be a fast and, for some, turbulent transition driven by innovation, digitisation and global megatrends such as artificial intelligence and the circular economy.


2. LEGAL BASIS, SUBSIDIARITY AND PROPORTIONALITY

• Legal basis

‘Horizon Europe’ is based on the TFEU Titles ‘Industry’ and ‘Research and technological development and space’ (Articles 173 i 182(1), 183 and 188, second subparagraph) as well as Article 322(1), point (a).


• Subsidiarity (for non-exclusive competence)

The Union has a shared (parallel) competence in this area based on Article 4 i TFEU. First, by enhancing collaboration and integration across stakeholders and borders, EU funding breaks down national barriers and creates a critical mass to address shared challenges. Second, by addressing market failures and suboptimal investment conditions, and generating economic impact, the EU enhances economic resilience, leverages private funds, attracts capital, boosts productivity across the EU, and supports economically beneficial projects that might not succeed otherwise. It supports EU-wide competition, allowing to select the best scientific and innovative ideas from across the EU. Third, by strengthening investment directionality and pooling of resources, the EU can better address EU-wide challenges and promote shared priorities such as the digital and green transitions.

This EU-level approach supports breakthrough innovations and strategic goals, overcoming coordination limitations among Member States. For example, ex-post simulations estimate that, without EU funding for research and infrastructures over decades, essential innovations, like mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, would have been delayed by months, hindering critical rapid market release and subsequently societal benefits.


• Proportionality

Actions at Union level will enable transnational collaboration and world-wide competition to ensure the best proposals are selected. This raises levels of excellence and provides visibility for leading R&I, but also supports trans-national mobility and attracts the best talents globally. A Union-level programme is best placed to take on high-risk and long-term R&I, thereby sharing the risk and generating a breadth of scope and economies of scale that could not otherwise be achieved. Interlinkages with national initiatives will be sought, in particular in the area of innovation.

It can leverage additional public and private investments in R&I; contribute to further strengthening the European R&I landscape; and accelerate the commercialisation and diffusion of innovation. Union-level programmes can also support policy making and policy objectives.

6.

The proposed actions do not go beyond what is required for Union objectives.



• Choice of the instrument

Research and innovation, due to its long-term and bottom-up nature, requires an independent, integrated and predictable self-standing programme, that ensures the right conditions for spiring new ideas and bringing them to the market. To enable disruptive solutions, it is imperative that research and innovation is kept independent and that there is continuity in funding. Therefore, while tightly connected to the European Competitiveness Fund, ‘Horizon Europe’ has maintained its independent legal base required under Article 182 TFEU and its brand and positive international reputation, building on its long-term proven success as a trusted framework for excellence, collaboration and impact.

The legal act creates rights for and obligations on beneficiaries, binding in their entirety and directly applicable in all Union Member States and countries associated to the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.


3. RESULTS OF RETROSPECTIVE EVALUATIONS, STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS

• Retrospective evaluations/fitness checks of existing legislation

Retrospective evaluations and fitness checks of existing legislation are essential to ensure that the next R&I framework programme builds on what works and improves what does not. By assessing the effectiveness, efficiency, and coherence of past measures, these reviews provide critical evidence to shape better policy design, reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens, and align funding instruments with evolving scientific, technological, and societal needs. This contributes to a more responsive, impactful, and future-ready research and innovation ecosystem.


• Stakeholder consultations

7.

In the framework of preparing for the next MFF starting in 2028, the European Commission conducted a public consultation to gather views on EU funding for competitiveness.


The public consultation, held from 12 February to 7 May 2025, gathered 2,034 survey responses and 462 position papers, with strong participation from EU citizens (26%), academia (22%), and public authorities (13%), alongside businesses, NGOs, and other stakeholder networks.

Most of respondents which had experience of Horizon Europe expressed positive views on the funding process, from identifying funding opportunities, to the relevance and clarity of the calls. However, they highlighted the application procedure and overall timeline as key weak points, underscoring the need for simplification, clarity, and better coherence to enhance accessibility, especially for SMEs and newcomers. Respondents recognised fragmentation in support across the investment journey as a barrier to competitiveness, particularly in relation to underinvestment in research and innovation.

The public consultation was complemented by targeted outreach to key stakeholder groups in both industry, research and innovation. Research and innovation stakeholders have been actively engaged in shaping the debate on the future role of R&I in EU competitiveness, particularly following the launch of the Commission’s political guidelines in July 2024 and the Competitiveness Compass in February 2025.


• External expertise

This initiative builds on three key external reports: Mario Draghi on EU competitiveness, Enrico Letta on the future of the single market, and the Commission Expert Group on the interim evaluation of Horizon Europe.

All three reports converge in their core message: Europe must innovate, adapt, and lead to safeguard its competitiveness, prosperity, sustainability, and security. Their combined analysis provides a strong analytical and political foundation for the proposed R&I Framework Programme and the wider strategic orientation of the European Competitiveness Fund.


• Impact assessment

8.

This proposal is supported by a comprehensive impact assessment for the European Competitiveness Fund, which included 14 programmes contributing to EU Competitiveness.


Under the Commission’s Political Guidelines, the next MFF sets out to be more focused, simpler and more impactful. The architecture of the new MFF will therefore be significantly different from the current structure. Given this special case of preparing a new MFF, the impact assessment lacked several key elements. Therefore, the Regulatory Scrutiny Board decided, exceptionally, to issue an Opinion without qualification.

The Regulatory Scrutiny Board noted that the report contained significant shortcomings such as on scope, governance, coherence with other part of the MFF, among others. These shortcomings have been addressed in both the European Competitiveness Fund and the Horizon Europe legislative proposals.

In line with the need for ‘simplicity and flexibility, speed and strategic focus’ set out in the Political Guidelines, the impact assessment assessed three options affecting the architecture of EU funding ranging from the continuation of the 14 programmes related to competitiveness, to their consolidation into a Competitiveness Fund:

9.

A. Business-as-usual-plus: light coordination.


B. Enhanced coordination between existing programmes (single rulebook).

C. Consolidation of programmes in a new European Competitiveness Fund in one or two single acts.

The consolidation of programmes in two single acts, as foreseen in Option C, was considered as the best policy option that would keep the brand ‘Horizon Europe’ while fully contributing to the objectives of the Competitiveness Fund thanks to the integration in terms of objectives, structure, governance and rules of the two acts. At the same time, it caters for a standalone R&I framework programme to safeguard the integrity of research and innovation and the requirements of Article 182 TFEU. This position has been echoed by the European Parliament, the Member States and third countries today associated to Horizon Europe. 


• Simplification

10.

Simplification is an overarching priority of the Commission with the aim to reduce burden and over complexity and favour speed and flexibility.


Being the largest Union programme implemented under direct management, the Framework Programme for research and innovation is an obvious target for simplification. Simplification for beneficiaries will be achieved, inter alia, through:

·Reduced length of the work programme with less prescriptive programming: reducing the overall number of topics, shortening topic descriptions and minimising single-project topics.  

·Open topics by default: less prescriptive with more freedom to applicants for different pathways towards expected outcomes.  

·Continuity and further simplification of the funding landscape: There will be no distinction between Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA) but one single funding rate of up to 100%, except for for-profit entities other than SMEs, with a funding rate of up to 70%. The funding rates will be the maximum that can be reduced when justified for implementing specific actions.

·Increased use of simplified cost options: Building on the experience gained with lump sum pilots under Horizon 2020 and their broader application in Horizon Europe, lump sum funding will become the default form of Union contribution, unless otherwise provided. Other simplified forms of cost, including personnel unit costs, will be used. These simplification measures aim to foster broader participation, particularly from newcomers and smaller entities, while preserving sound financial management and control.

Going together with the unprecedented simplification effort, a faster implementation of Horizon Europe will be achieved with a reduction of the maximum time to grant to 7 months, which is one of the fastest time-to grant of the EU programmes and two months faster than the maximum time to grant set out in the Financial Regulation.

The commitment of both the European Parliament and Council to uphold the simplification principle in ordinary legislative procedure will be key.


• Fundamental rights

This Regulation respects fundamental rights and observes the principles recognised in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and other international human rights conventions to which Member States and the Union are party to.


4. BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS

11.

The budget of all proposals is presented in current prices. The Commission may continue, on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis, to use executive agencies to implement of Horizon Europe.



5. OTHER ELEMENTS

• Implementation plans and monitoring, evaluation and reporting arrangements

This initiative will be monitored through the performance framework for the post-2027 budget, which is covered in a separate proposal. The performance framework provides for an implementation report during the implementation phase of the programme, as well as a retrospective evaluation to be carried out in accordance with Article 34 i of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509. The evaluation shall be conducted in accordance with the Commission's Better Regulation Guidelines and will be based on indicators relevant to the objectives of the programme.


• Other horizontal issues applying to the proposal

Programme principles: the Programme will ensure the effective promotion of values and principles of the European Research Area and the Pact for Research and Innovation, notably ethics and integrity in research and innovation, freedom of scientific research, gender equality and equal opportunities, open science and the promotion of attractive research careers and mobility.

International cooperation will be further reinforced with the objective of contributing towards the Union’s competitiveness and excellence in R&I and will balance the risk and benefit in cooperating with third countries and third country entities.

Valorisation and dissemination: In view of enhancing the Union’s competitiveness and line with the Commission’s valorisation strategy, dedicated support instruments and tools will be put in place to facilitate and accelerate the valorisation process and ensure that research results translate into real-world applications. This transforms public investment in R&I into new market opportunities, and tangible value for society and industry.

12.

Alignment of strategic steer with the Competitiveness Fund and the Competitiveness Coordination Tool.



• Detailed explanation of the specific provisions of the proposal

Horizon Europe builds on the legacy of over 40 years EU investments in research and innovation. It is designed to promote science, protect core values of independence and openness and improve Europe’s excellent knowledge base and boost EU competitiveness. Its architecture is designed for enhanced coherence and performance.

13.

It is proposed to use a four-pillar structure.


·Pillar I, ‘Excellent Science’, aims to strengthen the EU's scientific base, attract top talent, promote excellent research in Europe and provide best science for EU policies. Research excellence and mobility is at the core of Europe’s ambition to be the best place in the world to do research: “Choose Europe”. Against this background, this pillar includes:

–The European Research Council (ERC): The ERC will be expanded to increase its ability to support frontier research, with a focus on funding excellent researchers and their teams.

–Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA): The MSCA will continue to support research training and career development.

–Science for EU policies: non-nuclear direct actions of the Joint Research Centre (JRC).

·Pillar II, ‘Competitiveness and Society’, aims to support collaborative research and innovation in areas of high societal impact, with a focus on tackling global societal challenges and boosting EU competitiveness. This pillar will be similar to the structure of the interventions areas in the European Competitiveness Fund and its four policy windows. This will ensure coherent support throughout the investment journey. In addition, a policy window specific to the new Horizon Europe will address bottom-up research, in particular in the areas of global societal challenges such as migration, disinformation, and the safeguarding, strengthening and promotion of democracy, as well as social and economic transformations, inclusive societies and social cohesion. Strategic programming for collaborative research will be informed by an internal assessment capacity, the ‘Observatory of emerging technologies’, referred to in the Regulation (EU) [XXX]* of the European Parliament and of the Council [European Competitiveness Fund] 1 . Partnerships will remain a key instrument of the programme and will work synergistically with the European Competitiveness Fund under the relevant steering processes. They are proposed to be radically simplified and streamlined in their operations and organisation. Partnerships can take various forms: public-public-private to public-public or public-private.

·Pillar III, ‘Innovation’, aims to support innovation in Europe, with a focus on promoting the development of new products, services, and business models. This pillar includes:

–The European Innovation Council (EIC): The EIC will support innovative startups, SMEs, with a focus on promoting disruptive innovation and entrepreneurship. It will be expanded with:

·More ‘ARPA’ elements into its operations, where high risk projects are supported in stages, or discontinued, based on their potential to deliver on disruptive solutions as assessed by expert Programme Managers. It will further develop pathways from ERC or collaborative research projects into the EIC to commercialise faster and scale up breakthrough technologies.

·A ‘DARPA’ approach dedicated to supporting defence and dual use startups and their scaling up operating in full complementarity with the ECF InvestEU Instrument and the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS) and CASSINI (Space entrepreneurship initiative) activities.

·It will provide an unprecedented opportunity to support high tech dual use and defence start-ups and scale-ups, including those deemed strategic and critical to the interests of the Union and its Member States, which require targeted direct support and are not able to access sufficient capital from the market.

·Close coordination and synergy with the European Competitiveness Fund policy windows regarding the definition of ‘Challenges’.

·Existing deeptech scale up financing under the Scaleup Europe Fund announced in the Startup Scaleup Strategy will be carried out under the terms agreed in the current MFF. All future scaleup financing will take place under the ECF.

–Innovation Ecosystems, including Activities to foster the integration of the knowledge triangle – higher education, research and innovation, and business – across the Union.

Close cooperation between collaborative research under Pillar II and the start-up and scale-up support under Pillar III will be foreseen in order to strengthen the demand side for start-ups and scale-ups by linking up them to the large corporates in Europe and by facilitating innovative public procurement measures on EU and national level.

·Pillar IV, ‘European Research Area’, aims to support the development of a unified European Research Area (ERA), with a focus on promoting excellence, inclusiveness, and impact. This pillar includes:

–ERA Policy: This component will support the development of ERA policy, with a focus on promoting excellence, inclusiveness, and impact.

–Research and Technology Infrastructures: This component will support the development and operation of research and technology infrastructures, including for the first time support to capital expenditure.

–Widening Participation and Spreading Excellence: This component will support the development of research and innovation capacities in all regions of Europe.