At a dedicated event today, the Commission celebrates the start of the 73 projects selected for funding under the Horizon 2020 European Green Deal Call worth €1 billion. This last call under Horizon 2020 represents a milestone on the road to achieving the European Green Deal objectives, contributing to the EU’s response to the twin climate and biodiversity crises while accelerating a fair and sustainable recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel said:
I am grateful to the research community for their enthusiastic response to the Horizon 2020 European Green Deal call. I am excited to see how they are embarking on the road to invent concrete solutions for a transition to a climate-neutral society and a sustainable recovery. I am looking forward to see what concrete benefits the projects selected for funding will bring into the everyday life of Europeans.
Five of the 73 projects selected for funding take centre stage at today’s event to present their objectives, expected outcomes and explain how these will affect our everyday lives. They cover areas such as the protection of freshwater habitats, the prevention and management of wildfires, sustainable and healthy school meals, green and smarter airports and green hydrogen to decarbonise industrial sites.
Background
The European Green Deal is the Commission’s blueprint and roadmap to make Europe the first climate neutral continent by 2050, with a sustainable economy that leaves no one behind. The Commission launched in 2020 the €1 billion Horizon 2020 call with a view to mobilise the European research and innovation community and contribute to this central priority of the Commission. The call addressed directly the main priorities of the Green Deal and set a pathway for additional, related research and innovation initiatives in the context of Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme 2021-2027.
More information
Event: Horizon 2020 European Green Deal call: results and ambitions for the future
European Green Deal Research and Innovation Call (factsheet October 2021)
Press kit material
Horizon 2020 European Green Deal call (factsheet September 2020)
