It is very likely that the UK will continue to be part of the successor to the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme in some form or another. It’s vital for our science, higher education and knowledge economy. The current programme has a budget of 80 billion euros, started in 2014 and lasts till…well, 2020. The current priorities of its work programme are around low carbon, digital, circular economy, and security.
The public consultation has now started for its successor and finishes on the 8th of March. We would encourage everyone who knows or has some experience with these funding programmes to complete it, so we can all get an improved programme that is shaped to needs.
We responded and felt a key point was that there needs to be much more smaller projects / grants so that it is easier for start-ups to get involved; with a side benefit of making the programme more agile and flexible. Large complex projects are good for those wicked issues; but the balance should be skewed towards where most risk it (early stage start-ups). Support for larger demonstrations based on the results of these smaller projects can then be considered through low cost loans for example.
Luke is co-founder and CEO at YoUrban. He is a former smart city programme manager at Bristol City Council where he secured a £33m pipeline of technology projects. He is a Member of the ODI, and a Winston Churchill and RSA Fellow. His interests and experiences are driven from his passion for catalysing innovation in organisations and our local and global communities.
YoUrban is a new type of consultancy that researches, develops and provides advice on digital strategies, services and technologies to increase the quality of life, sustainability and resilience of citizens, communities and cities. We are specialists in the areas of big data, robotics, AI, telecommunications, digital transformation and smart cities.