The second Strategic Plan 2025-2027 provides the strategic orientation for Horizon Europe’s last three years, including nine co-funded and co-programmed partnerships.
On 20 March 2024, the European Commission published its second Strategic Plan 2025-2027 of Horizon Europe. It was co-created by the Commission services and co-designed with Member States, Associated Countries, the European Parliament and more than 200 stakeholders and citizens, including a public consultation and a dedicated citizen engagement event.
It builds on the first Strategic Plan 2021-2024, and maintains the three strategic orientations for research and innovation investment, namely,i. Green transition, ii. Digital transition, and iii. “a more resilient, competitive, inclusive and democratic Europe”, but the “open strategic autonomy” is the overarching principle across all three strategic orientations, referencing articles 22(5) and 22(6) of the Horizon Europe regulation.
The second strategic plan includes a new section on research security to tackle foreign R&I interference or technology leakage, and limit international collaboration on specific calls related to sensitive technologies, highlighting the growing geopolitical tensions. Earlier this year, the EC published a proposal for Council Recommendations on research security (see SwissCore article) which should be adopted before summer, while the US government advisory group JASON is urging caution in tightening science security in the recently published JASON report.
The Strategic Plan also upgrades Horizon Europe’s ambition on biodiversity. It commits to a target of 10% of Horizon Europe’s total budget 2025-2027 to biodiversity-related topics, complementing existing targets for climate expenditure (35% over Horizon Europe’s lifetime) and digital activities (€13 billion over the same period).
Besides, the Strategic Plan defines five new co-funded partnerships (Brain Health, Forest and Forestry for a Sustainable Future, Raw Materials for the Green and Digital Transition, Resilient Cultural Heritage, and Social Transformations) and four co-programmed partnerships (Resilience, Innovative Materials for the EU, Solar Photovolatics, and Textiles for the Future, and Virtual Worlds).
Moreover, the document foresees to make progress on the five existing EU Missions. A 2023 assessment confirmed that during the first two years of Horizon Europe, EU Missions have supported the EU’s work on the European Green Deal, and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. However, a recently published expert report, published in February 2024, indicates that the Missions still need to deliver more.
Finally, the New European Bauhaus is also integrated in the strategic plan, not as a Mission as initially proposed by the EC, but as a cross-cluster issue in the Horizon Europe work programmes for 2025-2027.