Five ways the UK’s new access to Horizon Europe can help your business

The UK and EU governments have finally announced that a deal had been reached for the UK to access the primary EU funding programme for R&D, Horizon Europe. It’s fantastic news for the whole research and innovation community in the UK. 

Since the UK left the EU, the CBI has long campaigned for the UK to be an ‘associate’ member of the €95bn-over-7-years programme. 

In the interim there’s been a lot of uncertainty for businesses, universities and researchers about how and whether they could participate, and it’s made major programmes of international collaboration for innovation between the UK and EU much harder.

So why did the CBI campaign for this?

The CBI has consistently worked with the UK government to ensure the voice of business has been clearly heard: that Horizon Europe is the best option for UK business - even as we also worked with members and the government on shaping the potential alternative, Pioneer programme.

In 2023 we submitted business case studies to Department for Science, Innovation & Technology negotiating teams, contributed to a Commons committee enquiry on Horizon, and coordinated a letter to the Prime Minister from CBI Trade Associations and Innovation Council members urging association.  

What could the deal mean for your business?

1. Your business can benefit directly from innovation grant funding

All kinds of businesses are eligible across the wide range of Horizon programmes, from startups to large multi-national corporations. In Horizon Europe’s predecessor programme more than 2,000 UK businesses received €1.4bn total. SMEs receives more than €840m of that. 

‘Innovative Europe’ funding, for example, covers early proof-of-concept work through Pathfinder. It supports technology at the proof-of-concept to pre-commercial stages through Transition. And it supports SMEs to take technology from pre-commercial to market and scale-up stages, through Accelerator.

2. You can collaborate with businesses and academic researchers, across the EU and beyond.

One of the biggest benefits of participation in Horizon Europe is the opportunity to build collaborative networks across the EU and beyond (non-EU countries participating include Norway, Israel and New Zealand, with Canada, South Korea and Japan all in discussions). With some projects involving hundreds of business innovators and academics in dozens of countries. 

UK organisations can now lead consortia, so your business can now play an even greater role in convening and steering research and innovation collaborations.

3. You can work with other businesses and university partners to apply NOW.

With very few exceptions, all Horizon Europe programmes are now open to UK applicants. If you’re not already in touch with universities with a specialism that’s important for your business, or looking at direct business innovation funding programmes like the European Innovation Council Accelerator, now is the time to do so. 

4. Your local innovation system will be boosted.

In campaigning for Horizon Europe access for the UK the CBI constantly heard from members that they valued the system-raising capability of Horizon programmes, above and beyond direct benefits to their own business. If your local university and technology businesses benefit from its funding and networks, you will too. 

5. CBI members like you have benefitted from Horizon programmes in the past.

We’ve got a huge range of examples of CBI members who have benefitted from European Horizon programmes in the past, from the UK-based pharmaceutical company that helped develop more effective asthma treatments to the additive manufacturing firm that transformed its ability to develop new products and services. We hope many more take up the opportunity through Horizon Europe between now and 2027.   

How can you get involved? 

It’s a HUGE programme, so chances are there could be something for you. Such a large programme isn’t always the easiest to navigate, but it’s worth persevering. 

Whether you’re a manufacturing or service business, in telecoms, aerospace, retail, chemicals, or tech, there are important Horizon Europe programmes aimed helping you develop innovation and technology to achieve social goals as varied as mitigating climate change, beating cancer, restoring ocean and waters, climate-neutral smart cities, and the transition towards healthy soils.

If you are already familiar with Horizon Europe and looking for details on what association means to you, check out the government’s explainer.

If you’re new to Horizon Europe and need help navigating the programme, you can start with your relevant National Contact Point. Or you could speak to your CBI Account Manager.

Where we’ll take this next

Technology and Innovation is one of the key areas of policy focus for the renewed CBI. We’ll be looking to build on renewed access to Horizon Europe to see how else we can support innovation as one of the best ways to achieve sustainable growth for the UK. You’ll be hearing more on our policy asks in this area ahead of the Autumn Statement, and as we seek to influence the political parties’ election manifestos. If you have any insight or suggestions, please get in touch.