The Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness pillar supports collaborative research relating to societal challenges, reinforces technological and industrial capacities, and sets EU-wide missions with ambitious goals tackling some of Europe’s biggest problems (health, climate change, clean energy, mobility, security, digital, materials, etc.). 

Clusters

Activities under Pillar 2 will be organized in six interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral, cross-policy and cross-border clusters:

  1. Health
  2. Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society
  3. Civil Security for Society 
  4. Digital, Industry & Space 
  5. Climate, Energy and Mobility 
  6. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture & Environment

Each cluster contributes towards several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Each of the six clusters has a range of defined destinations, which will define the focus of the collaborative calls for proposals.

Missions

The EU will introduce a limited set of EU-wide R&I missions as part of the “Global Challenges and Industrial Competitiveness” pillar of Horizon Europe.

Missions are portfolios of projects intended to achieve a measurable goal within a set timeframe, that are linked to key societal challenges that are relevant to a broad range of stakeholders and citizens.

In other words, missions are ambitious, bold goals to tackle issues that affect our daily lives. They will be defined within the context of five Mission Areas: 

  •  Adaptation to climate change including societal transformation
  • Cancer 
  • Healthy oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters
  • Climate-neutral and smart cities
  • Health soil and food  

Joint Research Centre (JRC) 

Pillar 2 also includes activities pursued by the Joint Research Centre which supports EU and national policy makers with independent scientific research and technical support.