As much as EUR 660 million has flowed to Poland under the EU research and innovation programme Horizon 2020, which is coming to an end. Among scientific institutions, the University of Warsaw obtained the most funds.

According to the analysis of the Polish National Contact Point for Research Programmes of the European Union, 65% more funds have been obtained under Horizon 2020 (2014–2020) than in the same period of the previous programme. In total, 832 Polish beneficiaries are involved in 1,749 projects.

With a budget of EUR 77 billion, the closing eighth framework programme was intended to finance the development of research and technology essential for tackling issues vital from the perspective of European politics, economy and society.

Universities and research institutes effective in obtaining European grants

The group of beneficiaries with the highest budget in the programme in Poland were scientific and research institutes as well as universities – they were granted approximately EUR 372 million. Among them, the University of Warsaw (UW) has obtained the most funds for research, development and innovation – nearly EUR 32 million. The UW is also a leader in the number of implemented and coordinated projects – it participates in 105 projects, 20 of which it coordinates.

‘It is a great source of pride for us. The University of Warsaw has increased Poland’s participation in Horizon 2020 to the greatest extent, obtaining almost EUR 32 million for the development of research and innovation in the country. In addition, the University of Warsaw coordinates the projects with the highest value, that is EUR 16.5 million,’ says Prof. Zygmunt Lalak, the university’s vice-rector for research, as quoted in a communication on the university’s website.

Under Horizon 2020, the UW carries out grants from the European Research Council (ERC), Research and Innovation Actions, Innovation Actions, Coordination and Support Actions, and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.

The best of the best 

The UW was ranked second among all the beneficiaries in Poland in terms of funds obtained, with FundingBox – a fund helping start-ups and research initiatives from all over Europe – taking the first place. The remaining institutions in the top five are the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (more than EUR 31 million), the National Science Centre (EUR 19 million), and the National Centre for Nuclear Research (EUR 17 million).

The list of universities that were awarded the highest funding includes, apart from the University of Warsaw, also: Jagiellonian University in Kraków, AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Warsaw University of Technology, Silesian University of Technology, Poznan University of Technology, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, University of Gdańsk, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, and Warsaw University of Life Sciences.

Polish institutions obtain ever more EU funds

Polish institutions coordinate as many as 295 projects under Horizon 2020, which is one third more than in the previous edition. Their partners are typically Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom. As for partners from outside the EU, Polish institutions most often carry out projects with Switzerland, Norway, Israel, Turkey, the USA, Serbia, and Ukraine.

Horizon Europe – a new opening

There will soon be another opportunity to obtain resources for research and innovation, as the next framework programme with a budget of around EUR 90 billion – Horizon Europe – is foreseen for the period 2021–2027. Its main objective will be to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis it has caused. As the National Contact Point’s report indicates, the projects with the greatest chance for support are those in the fields of health, culture and civil safety for the benefit of society. The Commission emphasises also the areas of digital technology, industry and space, climate, energy and mobility, food, as well as bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture, and the environment.

Phot.: ©Romolo Tavani- stock.adobe.com.