Making Horizon Europe work smarter: dialogue on implementation and simplification with Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva

The theme of the dialogue was implementation and simplification of Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme. 

The event brought together beneficiaries of Horizon Europe, research support offices, university administrations and umbrella organisation active in the EU research and innovation policy to reflect on the progress made, remaining bottlenecks and planned measures for further simplification. It offered the opportunity to gather direct feedback on key implementation topics to help shape the final phase of Horizon Europe (2026-2027) as well as inform the design of its successor programme.

The centrepiece of the Dialogue was a set of thematic discussions in three consecutive blocks, focusing on three key steps in the client journey of Horizon Europe: 

1. Proposal submission: Gathering feedback on the submission process of proposals in Horizon Europe, as well as options to simplify it
2. Proposal evaluation: Understanding the experience of applicants with the evaluation process in Horizon Europe, including the selection of experts, as well as possibilities to reduce the burden and streamline the process
3. Simplified Cost Options: Building on the large-scale introduction of simplified costs options (e.g. lump sums) in Horizon Europe, which has significant simplification potential especially for SMEs and newcomers, participants will be invited to share their experience and suggest measures for improvement

Background

Implementation Dialogues are a consultation tool at the political level launched in the spring of 2025. The main purpose is to strengthen and boost European competitiveness by seeking feedback from stakeholders to facilitate the implementation of EU policies and the simplification of EU rules and spending programs. This dialogue was the second one held by Commissioner Zaharieva.