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This briefing explores the performance gap between EU-15 and EU-13 countries under Horizon 2020, the reasons for this gap and policy options at national and EU levels.

The European Union (EU)'s Research and Innovation Framework Programmes are the largest programmes for international research collaboration worldwide. Repeated reports point to the issue of underperformance in the Framework Programmes by the EU13 Member States - countries that joined the EU in and after 2004 - in comparison with the EU15 Member States - which entered the EU before 2004. This in-depth analysis explores the background of various challenges in research and development of EU13 vs EU15 ...

European policy for research and technological development (RTD) has been an important area of European legislation since the first Community Treaties, and has been extended in the early 1980s with the establishment of a European framework programme for research. Since 2014, EU research funding has been largely grouped into Horizon 2020, the 8th EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation covering the period 2014-2020. It is aimed at securing Europe’s global competitiveness.

Joint technology initiatives (JTIs) were set up as European institutional public-private partnerships to carry out the strategic research agenda of some established European technology platforms. Five JTIs were established under the 7th framework programme for research. Evaluation of these JTIs led to development of their legal framework to simplify their rules and procedures. Six JTIs are currently operational, receiving a €6.7 billion contribution from Horizon 2020.

• 2014 – 2020, EU funds for research and innovation near €120 billion. • €31 billion of EU funds are set aside for research into societal challenges (2014 – 2020) • A fully established European Research Area will generate annual gains of €16 billion.

This Cost of Non-Europe study examines the state of implementation of the current policy framework for the establishment of a European Research Area (ERA). The study combines a backward-looking (ex-post) and a forward-looking (ex-ante) evaluation. While the ex-post evaluation looks at the implementation of the ERA policy framework, the ex-ante assessment focuses on potential costs and benefits of possible further policy action. In doing so, it identifies shortcomings in the ERA policy framework and ...

There is an increasing demand for the EU to become a ‘Security Provider’. This demand comes from Europe’s best ally, namely the U.S., but also from Member States themselves. For the first time ever the defence solidarity clause of article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union was invoked in November 2015. Ultimately the demand to put ‘more defence in the Union’ comes from European citizens who wonder why Europe does not protect them in the current turmoil. From the answer to this question depends ...

Horizon 2020 will be one of the main European Union instruments aimed at achieving an "Innovation Union", one of the Europe 2020 growth goals. It will focus on research outputs and innovation, with the goal of accelerating the commercialisation and diffusion of innovation.

The study shows that while Europe has a strong science and research base the European research sector does not currently represent an attractive enough proposition for top researchers. To effectively address this problem, policies must be developed that specifically focus on the quality of the research environment while also creating the conditions that can best promote and reward scientific excellence. Opportunities exist at the EU level to positively address these issues, primarily in the context ...

The aim of the Common Strategic Framework (CSF) is to improve the efficiency of research and innovation funding at national and EU levels, primarily by bringing together, within a single unitary framework, the three main existing sources of funding for research and innovation – the FP7, the CIP and the EIT initiatives. The current study aims to provide a set of specific recommendations focused on reinforcing, streamlining, simplifying and synchronising the complementarity of all the above-mentioned ...