“I am very pleased to announce that "Horizon 2020" is the winner of our "You Name it" online vote to name the future EU-funding programme for research and innovation, said Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, R&D Commissioner in a statement.
But she promised, “We will not lose sight of the fact that the Framework Programmes have been a big success and that there has been much to be proud of. We are not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
“The full name that I shall be putting forward towards the end of this year as part of the legislative proposal for the new programme will therefore be: "Horizon 2020 - the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation,” said Geoghegan-Quinn
Three names were shortlisted. Horizon 2020 received 3,055 votes against 2,785 for Imagine 2020 and 2.478 for Discover 2020. In total, 8,318 votes were received.
The Commissioner congratulated the competition winners Marcela Endlova, a student from the Czech Republic, and Beata Zyngier, a teacher from Poland – who both suggested the name.
Geoghegan-Quinn made it clear in her first few weeks in the job that she wanted a new name for the Framework Programme. “I wanted the decision to be made in a democratic rather than a technocratic way,” she said, adding, “I am delighted at the response and the interest this exercise has generated.”
“The new name marks another step in our endeavour to establish research and innovation where it belongs, at the centre of EU policy making. To achieve that in a lasting way, we need to connect with a wider public and give our work a higher profile.
Geoghegan-Quinn said the new name is, “An important symbol of a new departure and a new adventure,” noting Horizon 2020 is not just a new name for the same Framework Programme. “It is the name for the new, integrated funding system that will cover all research and innovation funding currently provided through the Framework Programme for Research and Technical Development, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology,” she said.
“These different types of funding will be brought together in a coherent and flexible manner. This will be a smarter way to support researchers and innovators in Europe – so as to further boost excellence and to help ensure that good ideas reach the market and generate sustainable economic growth and new jobs”
“In future, research and innovation funding will focus more clearly on addressing global challenges. Needless red tape will be cut out and participation made simpler,” Geoghegan-Quinn promised.
The new programme now has a name with an optimistic ring that evokes vision, new possibilities and an ambitious view of what EU-funded research and innovation can achieve,” Geoghegan-Quinn concluded.
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