The future of European funding for research and innovation is taking shape. The Council of the European Union has reached an agreement on its partial negotiating position regarding Horizon Europe 2028-2034, which will be the EU’s tenth Framework Programme for research and innovation.
This advancement comes within the framework of negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework, the European Union’s long-term budget for the 2028-2034 period. Although it does not constitute final approval yet, it does allow anticipating some of the major orientations that will shape Europe’s R&D&I policy in the coming years.
The Council’s position covers both the regulation that will establish the new Framework Programme and the decision concerning the specific programme that will implement it. However, it is a partial position, since financial matters and other horizontal issues remain pending in the broader negotiations of the EU budget.
A key programme for European competitiveness
Horizon Europe will continue to be one of the EU’s main instruments for driving scientific excellence, strengthening economic competitiveness, and addressing major social, industrial, and technological challenges.
The orientation proposed by the Council confirms that research and innovation will continue to play a central role in Europe’s strategy. This approach takes on particular importance in a context defined by strategic autonomy, economic security, digital transformation, the green transition, and the need to strengthen Europe’s industrial base.
One of the most notable elements is the closer link between Horizon Europe and the upcoming European Competitiveness Fund. The aim is to push toward a more integrated support pathway, capable of better connecting research, technology development, innovation, industrialization, and bringing products to market.
For businesses, technology centers, universities, and European consortia, this approach could have a meaningful impact. Everything points to greater continuity between knowledge generation, the development of innovative solutions, and their industrial scaling.
Greater strategic weight for the member states
The Council’s position also strengthens member state participation in defining the programme’s strategic priorities. This point can directly influence the shaping of future calls, European partnerships, and priority investment areas.
The approach preserves the balance between open science, European policy priorities, and societal needs. In Pillar I, dedicated to scientific excellence, adjustments are introduced in the governance of the European Research Council and greater attention is paid to early-career researchers.
In Pillar II, focused on competitiveness and society, more detail is provided on the social dimension of the programme, and the balance between bottom-up research and the European Union’s strategic priorities is preserved.
Partnerships, research security, and dual-use applications
European partnerships will continue to be a key instrument within the future Framework Programme. The Council’s position points to a more structured and strategic approach to their identification, implementation, monitoring, and eventual termination.
Another relevant aspect is the incorporation of references to the research security and support for innovation with potential dual-use and defense applications. This orientation reflects an increasingly visible trend in European policy: linking R&D&I with resilience, technological autonomy, security, and Europe’s strategic capabilities.
For companies, this approach could open new opportunities in areas such as advanced digital technologies, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, space, defense, critical materials, energy, health, biotechnology, sustainable mobility, or industrial solutions with strategic impact.
Simplification and greater beneficiary orientation
Simplification will be another area to watch in the coming months. The Council’s position mentions measures aimed at facilitating beneficiary participation, along with horizontal principles such as gender equality and broad, diverse collaboration across the European Union.
For many companies, especially innovative SMEs and mid-caps, administrative complexity remains one of the main barriers to accessing European programmes. A clearer, more agile, and beneficiary-oriented framework could foster greater business participation, both in collaborative projects and in innovation instruments.
What this development means for business
Although the final budget and rules will depend on the negotiations over the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework, the Council’s position helps identify a few key takeaways:
Europe wants to strengthen research and innovation as a lever of competitiveness. The next Horizon Europe will be more closely linked to industrialization, strategic autonomy, and the scaling of technologies. European partnerships will continue to play a significant role. Research security, dual-use technologies, and defense-related applications will gain prominence. And companies will need to prepare their R&D&I strategies with a more European, more collaborative, and impact-oriented perspective.
In this context, it is essential for organizations to start assessing their technological capabilities, their lines of innovation, and their potential international partnerships. Getting ahead of the new framework will position them better for future calls and help build stronger projects aligned with European priorities.
An opportunity to prepare the R&D&I strategy for 2028-2034
The Council agreement does not close the design of the future programme, but it does set a clear direction: the European Union wants a more ambitious research and innovation programme, more closely connected to competitiveness, and more oriented toward turning knowledge into economic, social, and industrial impact.
For innovative companies, the 2028-2034 period could mark a new phase of opportunities. The key will be to start now by crafting a coherent European funding strategy, identifying R&D&I lines with potential, strengthening consortia, and linking projects to Europe’s major community priorities.
Óscar Salazar, Managing Director European Funds at Euro-Funding.
