After establishing the legislative basis for ten awaited institutionalised European Partnerships, the set-up and implementation phase can now begin.
In November, the long-awaited legal bases of ten institutionalised European Partnerships under Horizon Europe were adopted by the Council of the EU. On 18 November 2021, the Council established the legislative basis for the institutionalised European Partnership on Metrology based on Article 185 TFEU. It endeavours to accelerate the global lead of Europe in metrology research, creating sustainable European metrology networks in highly competitive and emerging metrology areas and offering a word-class metrology system by 2030. Just one day later, on 19 November 2021, the Council adopted a Council regulation establishing with a Single Basic Act the legislative basis for the following nine institutionalised European Partnerships:
- Circular Bio-based Europe: This partnership continues previous work in the area (with 142 bio-based innovation projects funded under Horizon 2020) with the objective to “transform renewable biological feedstock into bio-based chemicals, materials, products and energy, replacing their fossil-based versions.”
- Clean Aviation: It will continue the essential technological progress made under the Clean Sky and Clean Sky 2 programmes, safeguarding that technology advancements allow new product developments in aeronautics to deliver maximum progress towards carbon-neutral aviation by 2050.
- Clean Hydrogen: Building on the Fuels Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, it will fund projects making “clean hydrogen a viable energy alternative along the entire technology readiness scale”.
- Europe’s Rail: As the successor of the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking, the partnership will emphasise on “digital innovation and automation to achieve the radical transformation of the rail system needed to deliver on the European Green Deal objectives”.
- EDCTP: This partnership in health focuses on “the development and use of new or improved health technologies for tackling infectious diseases by supporting the conduct of clinical trials, in sub-Saharan Africa”. It was launched in 2003 and renewed in 2014 with funding through to 2024. It contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Innovative Health Initiative: The objective is to “create an EU-wide health research and innovation ecosystem that facilitates the translation of scientific knowledge into tangible innovations.” The partnership will contribute to several European policies such as Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the new Industrial Strategy for Europe and the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe and builds on the Innovative Medicines Initiative.
- Key Digital Technologies: Established in 2014 as Electronic Components and Systems for European Leadership Joint Undertaking, it will push the digital transformation of all economic and societal sectors.
- Single European Sky ATM Research: The aim is to modernise air traffic management by defining, developing and delivering new or improved technologies and procedures.
- Smart Networks and Services: The objective is to strengthen Europe’s scientific and industrial leadership, develop the technologies and standards for digital infrastructures of the future and contribute to Europe’s strategic autonomy, growth and jobs to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Horizon Europe offers three types of European Partnerships: the co-programmed, the co-funded, and the institutionalised Partnerships (see SwissCore article). Earlier this year, another institutionalised Partnership, the European High Performance Computing (Euro HPC) that aims to develop a World Class Supercomputing Ecosystem in Europe, was adopted on 13 July 2021. The nine partnerships under the Single Basic Act and the EuroHPC represent ten institutionalised Partnerships and are based on Article 187 TFEU. Once the new regulation enters into force, the newly adopted ten institutionalised Partnerships will initiate their set-up phase, including the recruitment of staff, the appointment of advisory bodies development of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agendas (SRIAs) and the preparation of work programmes, and then starting its implementation phase with the launch of calls for proposals.