Geoghegan-Quinn: Apply for EU funding

The European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science has urged businesses across the EU to apply for Horizon 2020 funding, describing the framework programme as having significant ‘simplification’.

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn made the comments whilst on a visit to Galway in southern Ireland to oversee the signing of a new maritime research charter. Outlining the most principal part of Horizon 2020 to journalists, the Commissioner said: “For me, the single most important element of it is its simplification.”

Joining Geoghegan-Quinn in Ireland was the European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki. ‘The Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Co-operation’ will cover the EU, Canada and the United States.

Speaking about the new charter, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn said: “The enormous economic potential of the Atlantic remains largely untapped. We probably know more about the surface of the Moon and Mars than we do about the deep sea floor. This alliance can make a big contribution to meeting challenges such as climate change and food security.”

Research into maritime affairs in addition to food security and the bioeconomy will fall under the Societal Challenges pillar of Horizon 2020.