A statement from the European Commission has confirmed that in the first half of the year they received applications that totaled nine times the amount of funding available under the Horizon 2020 calls.

“The response to the first Horizon 2020 calls has been enormous, with more than 17,000 proposals already submitted. I am impressed by the clear rise in industry interest, particularly from small businesses.”

European Research, Innovation and Science Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn

The response marks a substantial increase from the previous 7th Framework Programme (FP7) and a higher level of competition, however it is worth noting that due to the move from FP7 to Horizon 2020 there was a period when no calls were being published.

There has also been a notable increase in applications from industry, with business applications to the “industrial leadership” and “societal challenges” pillars of Horizon representing 44 percent of the total compared with 30 percent under comparable areas of FP7. SME participation is particularly strong, with over 5,500 SME applications to the Horizon calls on encouraging leadership in enabling and industrial technologies and nearly 2,700 applications for funding under the new €3 billion SME Instrument.