Synergies between Horizon 2020 and the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) Pia Laurila Policy officer European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation Unit Spreading excellence and widening participation pia.laurila@ec.europa.eu
Europe s innovation divide undermines competitiveness Source: Innovation Union scoreboard 2015
Policy response: synergies between Horizon 2020 and ESIF Although Horizon 2020 and ESIF have different overall aims - pursuit of S&T excellence and innovation (Horizon 2020) and reduction of economic disparities through broader economic, social and territorial development (ESIF) - synergies are now expected to gain strength as the regulations for both funding instruments include new provisions to facilitate better this development Promotion of synergies is about building meaningful interactions between the two policy frameworks and their investment strategies Synergies can have significant positive impacts on the economy, combining place-based innovation investments in smart specialisation priorities with world-class research and innovation initiatives, thus ensuring a higher impact
Synergies policy timeline Synergies between Horizon 2020 and ESIF aim at maximising the quantity and quality of investments, and thus ensuring a higher impact of the funds 2010: Europe 2020 and Innovation Union (Commitments 24 & 25) End 2013: July 2014: Nov 2014: Dec 2014: H2020 and ESIF Regulations contain references to coordination between programmes and synergy-friendly rules (Declaration on Seal of Excellence 2013/C 373/02 20.12.2013) Joint RTD REGIO Guide on Synergies New Commissioners Moedas and Creţu mandate from President Juncker to maximise synergies New CAB-RTD Synergy Task force + collaboration with DG REGIO June 2015: Commissioner Moedas priorities: 'Seal of Excellence' under Open Innovation pillar / Maximise impact Oct 2015: Official Joint Launch of the 'Seal of Excellence' initiative
R&I has a prominent role in ESIF Billion EUR Less developed regions 164.3 Transition regions 31.7 More developed regions 49.5 Cohesion Fund 66.3 European territorial cooperation 8.9 Of which Cross border cooperation 6.6 Transnational cooperation 1.8 Interregional cooperation 0.5 Outermost regions and northern sparsely populated regions 1.4 Youth Employment initiative 3.0 TOTAL 325.1
New Cohesion policy / European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) ESIF will focus on Europe 2020 objectives for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth / list of 11 thematic objectives for ESIF developed around the Europe 2020 priorities - first thematic objective is about Research & Innovation New regulatory provisions for thematic concentration (R&I part of the minimum 60-80% concentration for ERDF funds in more developed regions - 50% in less developed regions) Support to applied research and innovation for the purpose of regional socio-economic development Capacity building for innovation and growth through the promotion of innovation friendly business environments Smart Specialisation strategic approach to economic development through strategic support for R&I / Ex-ante Conditionality for the use of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for any kind of R&I investments
Promoting synergies - levels of action In the process of promoting synergies, three levels of action have to be considered in a combined way A. Strategy B. Programming C. Project Synergies can take many forms, as the modes of planning and delivery vary between the Framework Programme/Horizon 2020 and ESIF
Combining Horizon 2020 & ESIF through funding of successive parallel combined alternative projects Capacity Building National/Regional R&I systems ESI Funds Research & Development Innovation Market Horizon 2020 R&I Infrastructures and Equipment ESFRI Skills Business Advisory services Excellent R&I PPPs Demonstration Pilots KETs Prizes SME instrument KICs Marie Skłodowska-Curie Procurement SME Pilot lines Financial instruments Grant agreements Source: EC Guide on Synergies
Seal of Excellence key features Horizon 2020 evaluation: Funding threshold due to H2020 budget availability Quality threshold Funded Meriting funding Rejected: not ready for funding Target population: excellent proposals not funded by Horizon 2020 due to insufficient Call budget 'Seal of Excellence' certifies proposal of high quality, meriting funding and thus aims to link it with alternative funding Accompanying letter explains how to get in touch with other funding bodies (e.g. ESIF Managing Authorities in the Member States) Certificate is digitally signed against fraud Clear benefits for regions / Member States: make the most of a unique, high quality evaluation process better use of resources potential high local impact Join the Community of Practice! Pilot using to the SME Instrument Single company Small scale R&I actions Close to market
Bottom line on rules No mixing of funding from ESIF + Governments (national / regional) and Horizon 2020 for the same cost item ESIF may never replace matching contributions (public or private or a combination of the two) agreed in an Horizon 2020 Grant Agreement with the European Commission Golden rule: additional work-packages / additional cost items should be created in a given project (auditors have to be able to distinguish clearly what was funded under ESIF and what was funded under Horizon 2020)
Making synergies happen: working with different stakeholders Key role for national and regional authorities as they plan future investments on research and innovation, including from the ESIF Research stakeholders (public/ private): they should be better informed about the said investment plans and operational measures National Contact Points for Horizon 2020 European Commission services
Concluding remarks Reinforcing synergies between the two policy frameworks requires a change of mind-set in the strategy and programme implementation Think more in a strategic and not only projectoriented manner Integrate all interested actors and tools in the process Generate and identify new opportunities in all programmes and areas Set up suitable implementation and monitoring mechanisms
Learn more Research & Innovation Synergies with the Structural Funds https://ec.europa.eu/research/regions/index.cfm?pg=synergies Seal of Excellence initiative https://ec.europa.eu/research/regions/index.cfm?pg=soe Community of Practice for the Seal of Excellence: Send Expression of Interest to: RTD-SEAL-OF-EXCELLENCE@ec.europa.eu Horizon 2020 Participant Portal http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/index.html Guide on Synergies http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/guides/synergy/synergies_en.pdf Research & Innovation in Cohesion policy (2014-20) http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/themes/research-innovation/ Smart Specialisation Strategies http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu Thank you for your attention!