Ireland secures €836m from EU Horizon R&D budget

Since 2021, Irish-based organisations, including SMEs, have drawn down more than half of their €1.5bn target from Europe’s main R&D initiative.

The current seven-year Horizon Europe programme aims to support organisations to tackle global challenges, conduct ground-breaking multidisciplinary research and boost the EU’s industrial competitiveness and growth.

Ireland’s overall national drawdown target is €1.5bn or 1.6% of Horizon Europe’s €93.5bn budget from 2021-2027.

To date, Irish organisations have been granted €836.4m which equates to 2.14% of the €39bn awarded so far, showing that Ireland is tracking ahead of its target at just past the halfway point of the programme.

SMEs help unleash Ireland’s potential

The €836m secured by Irish organisations is distributed across 1,295 projects involving 487 individual Irish organisations and businesses.

Almost half of those 487 organisations (47%) have been awarded more than a quarter of a million euro, while one in five have secured greater than €1m.

Successful applicants from Ireland are drawn from a range of sectors and include higher education institutions, research performing organisations, public organisations and SMEs.

217 Irish SMEs have been awarded €233m under Horizon Europe and Ireland ranks at number four amongst the 27 EU member states for SME participation in projects. 

The figures were revealed today (5 December 2024) as more than 600 delegates including EU member state representatives, policy makers and industry leaders from the research and business community attend the Horizon Europe Impact Conference at the Convention Centre in Dublin.

Enterprise Ireland leads the Horizon Europe National Support Network which aims to promote and secure funding for Irish research projects.

“Ireland’s overall success in the Horizon Europe programme, supported by Enterprise Ireland and nine other government agencies and departments, shines a spotlight on the innovation capability of Irish organisations which are competing and winning on a pan-European level,” said Micol Martinelli, National Director for Horizon Europe in Ireland.

“This EU funding is instrumental in providing critical support to enable researchers to further develop their innovations which will influence and strengthen EU policy for the good of future generations. 

“However, funding awards are not the only success story – the collaboration and building of partnerships and relationships with organisations in other countries is a key driver of impact for research and innovation overall. To unleash Ireland’s full potential, we want to encourage and facilitate newcomers and to build on Irish participation for the remainder of the Horizon Europe programme and beyond.”