EU Missions in Horizon Europe

Parent program	Horizon Europe
Link to the program	research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu

Content of program

short description

The EU Missions are bold, inspiring and highly visible projects for citizens, demonstrating the added value of European investment in research and innovation. They are a new way to bring concrete solutions to some of our greatest challenges. EU Missions have ambitious goals that are time-bound, realistic, measurable and targeted and will deliver concrete results by 2030.

Rooted in research and innovation, missions aim to tackle societal challenges with systemic solutions, leading to societal transformations and social impact.

program objectives

Five mission areas have been included in the Horizon Europe Regulation (Adaptation to Climate Change, including Societal Transformation; Cancer; Healthy Ocean, Seas, Coastal and Inland Waters; Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities; Soil Health and Food). In 2021, Missions went through an initial preparatory phase, during which implementations plans were developed. These included detailed objectives, specific interventions, investment strategy and performance indicators for each mission. In summer 2021, the implementation plans have been assessed against objective criteria and all five proposed EU Missions have now entered their full implementation:

Adaptation to Climate Change: support at least 150 European regions and communities to become climate resilient by 2030;

The aim of this mission is to prepare Europe to cope with climate change by 2030. The aim is to enable the transition to a healthy and prosperous future without exhausting the earth's ecological limits. The basis for this is social transformation that strengthens social resilience.

Cancer: working with Europe's Beating Cancer Plan to improve the lives of more than 3 million people by 2030 through prevention, cure and solutions to live longer and better;

The mission "Beating Cancer" aims to save more than 3 million lives by 2030 and to improve the life expectancy and quality of life of people affected by cancer. Through a better understanding of cancer and improved prevention, diagnosis and treatment, it aims to improve the quality of life of all people affected and ensure equitable access to cancer treatment across Europe.

Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030;

By 2030, oceans and waters are cleaned of pollution, degraded ecosystems and habitats are restored and the economy is_{carbon neutral} in line with the concept of the "Blue Economy". The aim of this mission is to make the essential goods and services that we obtain or derive from our oceans and waters usable in a sustainable manner.

100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030;

100 European cities will be supported and promoted as "living labs" for experiments and innovations on the path to climate neutrality as part of this mission.

A Soil Deal for Europe: 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030.

By 2030, 100 living labs and lighthouses are established to lead the transition to healthy soils. Through the Soil Mission, Europe is able to continue to provide essential ecosystem services that we depend on if we want healthy food and healthy nature.

Expected effects and impacts

Missions will continue to help deliver key EU policy priorities such as such as the European Green Deal, Europe fit for the Digital Age, Beating Cancer and the New European Bauhaus. For instance, Mission Climate is a concrete element of the new Climate Adaptation Strategy, Mission Cancer of the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the Mission Soil is a flagship initiative of the Long-term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas.

To achieve their goals and promote societal change, missions will implement the reuse and reproducibility of research results such as FAIR research data and open access to scientific publications. Also, the missions will closely involve citizens in their implementation and monitoring throughout their duration, also showcasing the added value of the EU.

EU Missions are a coordinated effort by the Commission to pool the necessary resources in terms of policies and regulations, as well as other activities. They also aim to mobilise and activate public and private actors, such as EU Member States, regional and local authorities, research institutes, farmers and land managers, entrepreneurs and investors to create real and lasting impact. Missions engage with citizens to boost societal uptake of new solutions and approaches.

EU Missions support Europe’s transformation into a greener, healthier, more inclusive and resilient continent. They aim to bring tangible benefits to people in Europe and engage Europeans in their design, implementation and monitoring.

Regions / countries for funding	EU Member States, Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan), Belarus (Беларусь), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), Morocco (المغرب), New Zealand (Aotearoa), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom
eligible entities Partners	Education and training institution, Research Institution incl. University, Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), International organization, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other
Mandatory partnership	Yes
Project Partnership	To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries: the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States third countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries Only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows: at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries. Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic. A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality. Specific cases: Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding. Associated partners — Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions. Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons. EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act. Joint Research Centre (‘JRC’)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member. Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible.

Additional information

Topics	Administration & Governance, Institutional Capacity & Cooperation, Agriculture & Forestry, Fishery, Food, Soil quality, Air Quality, Biodiversity & Environment, Climate & Climate Change, Water quality & management, Circular Economy, Natural Resources, Digitalisation, Digital Society, ICT, Disaster Prevention, Resilience, Risk Management, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy , Equal Rights, Human Rights, People with Disabilities, Social Inclusion, Health, Social Services, Sports, Mobility & Transport, Rural & Urban Development/Planning
Relevance for EU Macro-Region	EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
Program documents	Work Programme 2023-2025 - Missions (2860kB)
Contact	EU Missions in Horizon Europe RTD-HORIZON-EUROPE-MISSIONS@ec.europa.eu Website