The European Commission presented new partnerships for the second half of Horizon Europe

The European Commission has taken a significant step forward in preparations for the launch of new European partnerships in the second half of the implementation of the Horizon Europe programme. Ten proposals for new partnerships were presented to Member States and Associated Countries, namely:

• Brain Health;
• Forests and Forestry for a Sustainable Future;
• Innovative Materials for EU (I'M for EU);
• In-Orbit Demonstration and Validation;
• Raw Materials for the Green and Digital Transition;
• Resilient Cultural Heritage;
• Social Transformations and Resilience;
• Solar Photovoltaics;
• Textiles of the Future;
• Virtual Worlds.

Member States and associated countries will gradually enter the negotiation phase and engage in structural consultations from July to September. During this period, they will have the opportunity to provide detailed feedback on the proposed partnerships and suggest additional ones.

The expert group responsible for the process of strategic partnership coordination also played a significant role in the selection of new partnerships. Last week, the group published recommendations that assessed the importance of European partnerships in relation to the Union's political priorities. The report, entitled “Assessing European Partnerships against European policy priorities”, introduces a methodology for better assessment of the alignment of partnerships with European priorities.

The individual partnerships are expected to contribute to the priorities of the European Commission, especially in the field of green and digital transformation. Horizon Europe brought about a significant reform and streamlining of the European partnership environment, their number was reduced from more than 120 in Horizon 2020 to 49 in the first strategic plan of Horizon Europe.

Details on the individual proposed partnerships can be found in the document on the European Commission's website.