A workshop this week on the new Horizon 2020 outlined the main objectives of the new programme. These are proposed as:
*To move from different priorities in each programme and initiative to common strategic priorities focusing on societal challenges, competitiveness and research excellence;
*To move from gaps between the stages (R & D, demonstration, market take up, etc) to coherent support for projects and organisations across the innovation cycle from research to retail;
*To move from a strong focus on research and technological development to stronger support for innovation, including non-technological innovation and market take-up.
The societal challenges will include 5 main strands that he explicitly linked to existing FP7 activity:
- Inclusive societies (Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities);
- Responsible Research and Innovation (Science in Society);
- Secure Societies (Security research);
- Digital Societies (ICT to improve inclusion and equal participation, ICT for trust and confidence/security);
- Knowledge base for research and innovation policies (Coherent Development for Research Policies)