Monitoring Horizon Europe
Key Impact Pathways - a modernised monitoring approach
The Commission’s proposal for Horizon Europe includes a ground breaking approach for capturing and communicating impact - the Key Impact Pathways. This approach aligns with a new level of ambition to boost the diversity of impact of EU research and innovation funding.
The objective is to allow policy makers and the wider public to get regular insights regarding the effects and benefits of the programme or European science, the economy and wider society.
The Key Impact Pathways will allow the Commission to capture and communicate the difference we are making around 9 key story lines during and after the programme.
Key Impact Pathways
| Scientific impact |
| Societal impact |
| Towards technological/economic impact |
Final report
To find out more about the Key Impact Pathways:
Evaluation timeline
- May 2020 to February 2023
Evidence-gathering for Horizon 2020 evaluation through external evaluation studies, internal analysis and other sources of information
- June 2022
Publication of the call for evidence for the ex-post evaluation of Horizon 2020 & interim of Horizon Europe (4 weeks)
- November 2022 to February 2023
Public consultation (12 weeks) covering Horizon 2020 ex-post evaluation, Horizon Europe interim evaluation and consultation to feed the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2025-2027
- January 2023 to February 2024
Evidence-gathering for Horizon Europe evaluation through external evaluation studies, internal analysis and other useful sources of information
- Q1 2023
Call for expressions of interest for the High Level Group (HLG) to develop recommendations based on the conclusions of H2020 ex-post evaluation and Horizon Europe mid-term evaluation
- Q2 2023
Publication of the synopsis report from the public consultation
- December 2023
Publication of the Horizon 2020 interim evaluation report (SWD)
- Q4 2023 to Q4 2024
Work of the High Level Expert Group
- September 2024 (tbc)
Publication of the SWD on Interim Evaluation of Horizon Europe
- December 2024
Publication of HLG report
Impact assessment of the Horizon Europe proposal
The impact assessment of Horizon Europe provides evidence-based policy and design recommendations. These include elements unique to the programme such as EU missions and a fully-fledged European Innovation Council.
The impact assessment for Horizon Europe was published in June 2018. It was drafted in line with the Commission’s better regulation guidelines and builds on
- evidence and lessons learned from the interim evaluation of the preceding programme, Horizon 2020
- recommendations of the independent high-level group on maximising the impact of EU research and innovation
- results of a stakeholder consultation
A new horizon for Europe - impact assessment for Horizon Europe 2021-2027
Book version of the impact assessment for Horizon Europe
Evaluating Horizon Europe
Article 52 of the Regulation establishing Horizon Europe outlines that evaluations will be carried out in a timely manner to feed into the decision-making process on Horizon Europe and future framework programmes.
An interim evaluation of Horizon Europe should be carried out once there is enough information about its implementation. It must be done no later than 4 years after the start of the programme.
It will assess the programme's effect based on its indicators and targets and provide a detailed analysis of the degree to which the programme is
- relevant
- effective
- efficient
- providing enough EU added-value
- coherent with other EU policies
The evaluation will also identify deficiencies or problems. It will identify potential to improve the programme’s activities and results and maximise the exploitation and impact of the programme.
Publications
An analysis of academic publications of the last two years shows that the EU is the third most frequently acknowledged funding source for COVID-19 related research.
Relevant Programmes: Horizon 2020 (H2020), Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
