Public–private partnerships under Horizon Europe

SUMMARY OF:

Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 establishing the joint undertakings under Horizon Europe

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE REGULATION?

sets up nine joint undertakings as public–private partnerships under the Horizon Europe programme, as provided for in Article 187 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;
determines their objectives and tasks, membership, organisation and other operating rules.

Amending Regulation (EU) 2023/1782 builds upon the existing Key Digital Technologies Joint Undertaking and replaces it with the Chips Joint Undertaking; it was adopted in parallel with Regulation (EU) 2023/1781 (known as the Chips Act), which aims to strengthen the European Union’s (EU) semiconductor sector.

KEY POINTS

General objectives

The nine joint undertakings are collectively designed to:

strengthen and integrate scientific, innovative and technological capacities and collaboration;
support knowledge and skills;
deliver on global challenges;
enhance competitiveness, resilience and sustainability;
help achieve a stronger European research area;
secure sustainability-driven global leadership and resilience in important technologies and industries in line with industrial and small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) strategies, the European Green Deal, the recovery plan for Europe and other policies;
improve the uptake of innovative solutions, addressing climate, environmental, health and other global challenges;
contribute to EU strategic priorities and economic growth;
help achieve the United Nations sustainable development goals and climate neutrality by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement.

The following joint undertakings are set up as EU bodies for a period ending on 31 December 2031, financed under the 2021–2027 multiannual financial framework.

The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking, designed to:

speed up the development of innovative bio-based solutions;
accelerate market deployment of existing solutions;
ensure that bio-based industrial systems perform at a high level.

The Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, designed to:

help reduce the carbon footprint of aviation by accelerating the development of climate-neutral aviation technologies;
ensure that aeronautics research and innovation (R & I) contributes to EU aviation industry competitiveness;
advance EU aviation R & I capacity.

The Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, designed to:

help with EU ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the 2020 hydrogen strategy for a climate-neutral Europe;
strengthen the EU clean hydrogen value chain’s competitiveness, bringing innovative clean solutions to the market more rapidly;
stimulate R & I on clean hydrogen.

The Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking, designed to:

help achieve the single European railway area;
ensure fast transition to a more attractive, user-friendly, competitive, affordable, easy-to-maintain, efficient, integrated and sustainable rail system;
support a strong and globally competitive European rail industry.

The Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking, designed to:

help reduce the socioeconomic burden of infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa by promoting new or improved health technologies;
strengthen preparedness and response to infectious diseases to contribute to health security in sub-Saharan Africa and globally.

The Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking, designed to:

create a health R & I ecosystem, helping translate scientific knowledge into innovations;
develop safe, cost-effective innovations to respond to strategic unmet public health needs;
drive innovation for a competitive and effective European health industry, industrial strategy for Europe and pharmaceutical strategy for Europe.

The Single European Sky ATM Research 3 Joint Undertaking, designed to:

strengthen and integrate EU R & I capacity in air traffic management, making it more resilient and scalable;
strengthen, through innovation, the competitiveness of manned and unmanned air transport;
develop and speed up the market uptake of innovative solutions to establish the single European sky as the world’s most efficient and environmentally friendly airspace.

The Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking, designed to:

foster Europe’s technological leadership in future smart networks and services;
achieve better strategic alignment with the telecoms industry, along with the internet of things, the cloud, and components and devices;
advance European technological and scientific leadership to shape and master 6G* systems by 2030;
strengthen digital infrastructure deployment and the uptake of digital solutions in the European markets;
support the alignment of future smart networks and services with policy objectives including the European Green Deal, security, ethics and privacy, together with a human-centric and sustainable internet.

The Chips Joint Undertaking, designed to:

build up advanced design capacities for integrated semiconductor technologies;
enhance existing and developing new advanced pilot lines across the EU to enable the development and deployment of cutting-edge semiconductor technologies and next-generation semiconductor technologies;
build advanced technology and engineering capacities for accelerating the innovative development of cutting-edge quantum chips and associated semiconductor technologies;
set up a network of competence centres across the EU by enhancing existing or creating new facilities;
undertake ‘Chips Fund’ activities to facilitate access to debt financing and equity, including by providing clear guidance, in particular for start-ups, scale-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small mid-caps in the semiconductor value chain, through a blending facility under the InvestEU Fund (see summary) and via the European Innovation Council.

Monitoring and evaluation

The joint undertakings are continuously monitored to ensure the greatest impact, their scientific excellence and the most effective and efficient use of resources. Results will be fed back to the Horizon Europe programme.

FROM WHEN DOES THE REGULATION APPLY?

It has applied since 30 November 2021.

BACKGROUND

For further information, see:

European partnerships in Horizon Europe (European Commission)
European partnership – FAQs (European Commission).

KEY TERMS

6G. The next generation of mobile/cellular systems and services currently under development and expected to be available towards 2030. It will offer more rapid communication speeds, operate in ultra-high radio frequencies, and make use of technologies such as artificial intelligence.

MAIN DOCUMENT

Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 of 19 November 2021 establishing the Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe and repealing Regulations (EC) No 219/2007, (EU) No 557/2014, (EU) No 558/2014, (EU) No 559/2014, (EU) No 560/2014, (EU) No 561/2014 and (EU) No 642/2014 (OJ L 427, 30.11.2021, pp. 17–119).

Successive amendments to Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.