• H2020
• Policy & Research

Research partnerships between the EU, member states and the private sector are on track to deliver the objectives of improving lives and increasing competitiveness.

This was confirmed by the results of interim evaluations of public-private and public-public partnerships supported by Horizon 2020.

Working in a broad range of sectors, these partnerships develop treatments for poverty-related diseases, design green transport technologies and support high-tech small and middle-sized enterprises, amongst other things.

Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas said: “The evaluations show that our partnerships with industry and member states already strengthen our economy and improve our quality of life. They enable us to tackle issues that no single company or country can deal with alone. We will use the evaluation results to further improve these initiatives and to increase their impact.”

The evaluation of the seven public-private partnerships, called Joint Undertakings (JUs), under Horizon 2020 and their six predecessors under the previous framework programmes confirms that the partnerships contribute directly to EU competitiveness and policy goals.

The commission estimates that leveraged private sector funding already equals or exceeds targets in four JUs and is closing in on the target for the remaining three.

The evaluation, based on independent experts and the results of a stakeholder consultation, also identifies some areas for further improvement.

The evaluation also identifies some challenges for research and innovation partnerships both within and outside of the EU, which the commission will use to develop proposals on partnerships in the next framework programme.