Pharma sector to benefit from new €78.6bn research programme
Horizon 2020 will run from 2014 to 2020
The pharma sector can bid for an increased pot of European Union (EU) funding for research projects under the new Horizon 2020 programme, which was approved in November. It has an overall budget exceeding €78.6bn and will run from 1 January 2014 to 2020.
This exceeds the €54bn assigned to the outgoing EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) for research, which ends on 31 December.
Looking at current prices, €17bn has been allocated to ‘industrial leadership’; €24.4bn to ‘excellent science’; €29.7bn to ‘societal challenges’; and €2.7bn to the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.
All of these budgets could fund projects developing innovative medicines, with companies forming international consortia with universities and other organisations to apply for funds.
The European Commission is to start issuing formal calls for proposals from 11 December.
It has also simplified the selection process, having dispensed with an initial round of consultation, which in the past has narrowed the scope of its formal calls. These will be broader going forward, prompting a wider range of proposals.
Dr Lidia Borrell-Damián, Director, Research and Innovation for the European University Association (EUA), said researchers awaited guidance on selection criteria.
'That is still to be seen: how the evaluation will be organised and will guarantee that there is a fair evaluation of the proposals received,' she said.