A new campaign has been launched to encourage UK businesses, academics and researchers to apply for Horizon Europe funding offering grants averaging £450,000.
It’s the Horizon Europe scheme, the world’s largest programme of research collaboration, of which the UK is a part.
The average Horizon grant is worth £450,000 to a UK business, and Government Ministers are determined for UK researchers and businesses to capitalise on the opportunities the programme offers to support vitally important research benefitting all our lives, from health to the environment.
The multi-channel campaign will include media partnerships, content on digital audio platforms (such as podcasts), and targeted digital media investments, with a focus on paid social adverts on platforms regularly used by research professionals such as LinkedIn, and digital displays.
It will also include real-world examples, spotlighting outstanding researchers and businesses who have delivered their ideas through Horizon Europe funding. The campaign’s reach will extend both domestically and internationally, building upon an ongoing series of official-level engagements with stakeholder organisations, designed to actively promote and advocate for the programme.
UK firms are already benefitting from Horizon funding to support their research, like Nova Innovation, whose consortium won over £17 million to develop tidal energy in Orkney, and South Yorkshire tech firm The Floow who are part of a project awarded just under £3 million, looking into road safety. The campaign push will shine a light on the benefits of Horizon participation for businesses like these – particularly smaller firms involved in R&D which might not have previously considered applying – as well as academics and researchers nationwide.
Science and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said:“We listened to the research sector and secured an excellent bespoke deal associating to Horizon. Being part of Horizon is a colossal win for the UK’s science, research and business communities and we need to capitalise on this incredible opportunity, once again putting our world class researchers and businesses at the very heart of the Horizon programme, which is precisely why I have set up this campaign blitz.
“I want to ensure that every part of the country is getting the most out of this programme. From a comms blitz to ensure every business and institution that does research in the UK knows about the opportunities Horizon offers, to grants to help our researchers and businesses put in the best applications possible, we will leave no stone unturned to boost our role in the world’s largest research programme.”
