Northern Ireland Horizon 2020 participation encouraged

Northern Irish companies are being encouraged to apply for funding under Horizon 2020 and the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME) programme, which will provide €2.3bn (£1.9bn) of additional funding for SMEs by 2020.

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster told the Belfast Telegraph: “Horizon 2020 promises to be very good for business and it has been purposely designed for SMEs. More money will be available for testing, prototyping, demonstration and pilot-type activities, for business-driven research and development, entrepreneurship, and for shaping demand for innovative products and services. Supporting researchers in their work will ensure that we continue to maintain, attract and develop dynamic partnerships. This will allow us to continue to develop home-grown companies and attract foreign investment.”

Speaking about the opportunity for researchers to collaborate under Horizon 2020, she added: “We are consolidating our research capabilities through major local collaborations right across our higher education institutions and with industry partners. Our underlying philosophy is to forge alliances between industry and researchers, and this can be evidenced in our recently established competence centres.”

She said that Horizon 2020 offers “great opportunities” for Northern Irish organisations to collaborate with those in other regions.