An apparent €298 million funding gap is down to changing structures and priorities, the Commission says, as researchers sound warning for next Horizon Europe
Photo credits: Annie Spratt / Unsplash
Look at the headline figures, and Horizon Europe is on track to invest €244 million less in polar research than its predecessor programme, Horizon 2020. The European Commission argues that the funding is there, only organised in different ways.
“Horizon 2020 prioritised isolated scientific disciplines and standalone polar networks, while Horizon Europe focuses on cross-sectoral, policy-driven systemic transformations,” a Commission spokesperson told Science|Business. “The mechanisms driving polar research funding have matured from fragmented investments into highly integrated, collaborative initiatives.”
This reading is not disputed by the research community, but it is not happy with the lower profile of polar science, nor with the prospect that this will continue in the next iteration of Horizon Europe.
As of January 2025, Horizon Europe had spent €246 million on …
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