EP approves Eurostars 2 as part of IIP

In the last plenary sitting of the European Parliament before the European elections, the next phase of Eurostars under Horizon 2020 has received full endorsement from MEPs.

After receiving the backing of other EU institutions and commitments by the ministries of the 34 countries involved in Eurostars, €1.14bn has now been secured for the full duration of Horizon 2020. Under the research and innovation framework programme, Eurostars 2 will receive three times more funding.

Commenting on the vote, Czech MEP Miloslav Ransdorf said: “Some 70% of newly-created jobs are in the SME sector. In some European regions, prosperity is predominantly reliant on SME activity. These companies are finding and exploiting gaps in the market and are rich in innovative capacity.”

The European Parliament voted to allocate €287m to Eurostars 2 from Horizon 2020. Countries involved in Eurostars 2 will also contribute €861m. The Joint Programme is part of the €22bn Innovation Investment Package. Eurostars is a unique funding programme for transnational research projects led by SMEs.