Horizon 2020 State-of-play

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• Horizon 2020 State-of-play

Workshop on Horizon 2020 National Centre for
Scientific Research DEMOKRITOS Athens,
Greece 5th February 2013

Robert-Jan SMITS
Director-GeneralDirectorate-General for Research
and Innovation
Research and Innovation
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European Parliament State of Play

• The ITRE Committee adopted on 28 November 2012
  almost unanimously three reports of the Horizon
  2020 package
• Regulation establishing Horizon 2020 - The
  Framework Programme for Research and Innovation
  (2014-2020) (Rapporteur Ms Riera Madurell)
• Decision establishing the Specific Programme
  Implementing Horizon 2020 (Rapporteur Ms
  Carvalho)
• Regulation laying down the rules for the
  participation and dissemination in Horizon 2020
  (Rapporteur Mr Ehler)
• The fourth report was adopted by a large
  majority
• Regulation for Euratom (Rapporteur Mr Skinner)
• The outcome of the vote gave the Parliament a
  strong mandate to start the inter-institutional
  negotiations.

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European Parliament State of Play (cont.)

• Main differences of ITRE Committee Reports
  compared to the Commission proposal
• Split Societal Challenge 6 between the
  innovative/inclusive part and security
• Addition of objective "spreading excellence and
  widening participation in 'Excellent Science'
  Pillar
• 20 of total combined budget for Leadership in
  Enabling and Industrial Technologies and Societal
  Challenges should go to SMEs
• Introduction of Fast-track to innovation funding
  instrument
• Recipients of grants should have option to be
  reimbursed on the basis of real indirect costs
  instead of single flat rate
• Differentiation between types of participants
  when fixing the funding rate
• No derogation from the Rules for public-private
  and public-public partnerships
• Reduction of the average time to grant from nine
  to six months

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Council State of Play

• Framework Programme Regulation Partial General
  Approach reached on 31 May 2012.
• Main differences in the Partial General Approach
  compared to the Commission proposal
• Structural changes, with the split of Challenge 6
  and the addition of a new activity on Cultural
  Heritage
• Rules for Participation and Dissemination
  Partial General Approach reached on 10 October
  2012.
• Main differences in the Partial General Approach
  compared to the Commission proposal
• Flat rate for indirect costs at 25 instead of
  20
• Additional payments for personnel ("bonus") with
  a cap at 8000 EUR per year and per person
• Review clause for funding model
• 100 reimbursement for non-profit organisations
  in close-to-market actions
• Currently, the Council Research Working Party is
  examining the amendments of the EP ITRE committee
  on the Framework Programme Regulation and on the
  Rules for Participation.

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Council State of Play (cont.)

• Specific Programme Partial General Approach
  reached on 11 December 2012.
• Main differences in the Partial General Approach
  compared to the Commission proposal
• The issue of Comitology with two important
  aspects from the Member States point of view
• 1) configurations of the Programme Committee,
• 2) opinion of the Programme Committee on
  individual projects.
• Widening participation
• Reaching the Partial General Approaches gives a
  strong signal to the European Parliament.
• They are "Partial" as the agreements do not
  include budgets.
• The budgets for Horizon 2020 will be finalised
  following agreement by the European Council on
  the Multi-Annual Framework.

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Council State of Play (cont.)

• Euratom Programme
• The examination of the Presidency compromise text
  on Euratom is ongoing in the Research Working
  Party.
• Main issues raised include
• structure and chairmanship of advisory
  committees
• organisation of fusion research
• budget increase of JRC
• administrative costs.
• It was decided that there will be no Partial
  General Approach in the February Council.
  Progress on Euratom depends on the progress of
  negotiations in the Research Working Party, and
  on the funding for ITER.

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TRILOGUES ON HORIZON 2020

• Following the ITRE vote on the H2020 package and
  the three Partial General Approaches reached by
  Council, the inter-institutional negotiations on
  Horizon 2020 have started.
• 10 January Kick-off meeting at political level
  (EP, Council, EC).
• The inter-institutional discussion process on the
  Framework Programme, the Rules for Participation
  and the Specific Programme has been launched
• The meeting allowed the three institutions to
  highlight the main topics to be addressed on
  Horizon 2020 and to clarify the future steps.
• 11 18 25 January First technical meetings
• The three institutions have started the
  discussions of the Articles of the Framework
  Programme Regulation and of the Rules of
  Participation on the basis of the four columns
  document.
• 31 January First trilogue
• 19 February Second trilogue (tbc)
• March Further trilogues

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TRILOGUES ON HORIZON 2020Main issues for the
Commission

• These include, in particular
• - Simplification this includes the amendments
  related to the funding model, time to grant, and
  comitology (EP/Council).
• The simplification proposed by the Commission
  will bring real benefits as it has been recently
  recognised by the Court of Auditors, which stated
  that
• "radically simplified cost-funding model will
  improve the reliability of the model, decrease
  the risk of irregularities in beneficiaries cost
  claims, make project accounting less complex,
  eliminate some of the verification steps required
  under the current FP7 funding model, thereby
  facilitating and accelerating the application
  process".
• - Structural issues the split of Challenge 6,
  new action lines, or the inclusion of widening
  participation under Excellent Science will have
  an impact on the budget distribution
  (EP/Council).