30 Apr 2025
Interim Evaluation of Horizon Europe analyses impact and returns of the Framework Programme
On 30 April 2025 the European Commission published the outcome of the interim evaluation of Horizon Europe. According to the evaluation, Horizon Europe, with its total budget of € 93.5 billion, is proving to be a major driver of economic and societal benefits. For every euro of costs to EU society, the programme is expected to generate up to six euros in benefits for EU citizens by 2045. In terms of economic growth, every euro of EU contribution is estimated to generate up to €11 in GDP gains by 2045.
The interim evaluation 'Horizon Europe: Research and innovation at the heart of competitiveness' draws on a broad evidence base, including extensive quantitative and qualitative analysis. It is based on an open public consultation with nearly 1,700 replies, over 1,000 interviews with project beneficiaries, Commission and national representatives and implementing bodies, as well as surveys of both successful and unsuccessful applicants. The Commission's Communication is accompanied by a Commission Staff Working Document outlining the analyses and methodologies used.
The evaluation draws the following conclusions:
- Impact: At its halfway point in January 2025, the programme has funded over 15,000 projects with a combined budget of more than €43 billion. Initiatives such as fuel cell electric buses in European cities, new antibiotics, and accessible artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for the scientific community highlight Horizon Europe's tangible impact.
- Scientific excellence: 80% of projects funded by the European Research Council have led to scientific breakthroughs or major advances. Since their launch in 1984, EU research and innovation programmes have supported 35 Nobel Prize winners. Under Horizon Europe, only the top 16% of all applications were successful. Nearly 7 out of 10 high-quality proposals did not receive funding due to a lack of sufficient budget. In the same period, to fund all the high-quality proposals, Horizon Europe would have needed nearly another € 82 billion.
- Innovation: Every euro invested in innovative companies through the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund has attracted over three euros from private investors. According to the evaluation, this shows that the EIC is a game-changer in EU support for start-ups and scale-ups.
- Knowledge Valorisation: The evaluation finds that there is a strong need to improve knowledge valorisation. Only about a third of the patented inventions registered by European universities or research institutions reach the market.
- Participation: Efforts to close the research and innovation divide among EU Member States are yielding positive results. The share of collaborative projects involving ‘Widening' countries (those with lower research and innovation performance) has risen to 58% (from 47% under Horizon 2020). The success rate of Widening Member States has improved since Horizon 2020 and their share of the overall programme funding has increased from 9% to 14%. Five Widening Member States now have success rates similar to the EU average (20%).
- Simplification: Lump sum grants – a fixed amount to cover the entire project –are estimated to reduce beneficiaries' administrative costs by 14% to 30% over a project's lifetime, saving up to €63 million across all lump sum projects signed so far. These grants eliminate financial reporting requirements, making them particularly attractive to small-and-medium-sized enterprises and newcomers.
- Gender equality: According to the evaluation, women hold leading roles in Horizon Europe projects and over 50% of the experts in advisory and evaluation panels are women. The share of women-led consortia has risen from 24% to 31% in less than four years, indicating a positive trend for the future. In addition, 95,156 researchers are benefiting from upskilling activities; of these, 44% are women.
The Commission states that it will use this interim evaluation's insights to enhance the impact of its policies and programmes. Upcoming Horizon Europe Work Programmes will incorporate immediate measures to simplify the application process and project implementation. Targeted investments will further support researchers and entrepreneurs, ensuring the EU continues to attract, nurture, and retain talent. Improved collaboration will bring stakeholders closer together, helping to translate knowledge and results to market, the Commission says. A further aim is to reduce barriers for launching and scaling up of innovative companies, through initiatives like the upcoming Start-up and Scale-up Strategy, the European Innovation Act, and the remaining Work Programmes of the EIC.
The Interim Evaluation will be discussed by research ministers in an orientation debate at the next Competitiveness Council meeting on 23 May 2025.
For more information: