Horizon Europe’s Interim Evaluation: Driving Europe’s Digital and Industrial Transformation
The interim evaluation of Horizon Europe’s contribution to the Digital and Industrial Transition has recently been published, offering a comprehensive assessment of the programme’s performance. This evaluation, part of the broader review of Horizon Europe, focuses on activities within Cluster 4: Digital, Industry and Space, and evaluates 11 European Partnerships.
The study was led by Technopolis Group in collaboration with AIT, Fraunhofer ISI, OPIX, Science Metrix, and VVA. The comprehensive set of evidence collected through our multi-pronged methodology provided critical insights into the programme’s contribution to advancing a smart and just transformation of industry and society.
This report stands out for its robust methodology, grounded in 5 key evaluation criteria — relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, and added value – following the Better Regulation Guidelines and state-of-the-art research and innovation performance analysis. The conclusions are based on a multi-faceted approach, including extensive stakeholder consultation and triangulated evidence. With its findings, the evaluation not only assesses Horizon Europe’s current achievements but also outlines strategic recommendations for future EU Framework Programmes.
Main findings: From standouts to areas for improvement
Horizon Europe has proven highly effective in integrating research and innovation (R&I) with industrial policy to address complex challenges.
Its systemic approach encourages collaboration across sectors and value chains, enabling transformative impacts on key industries. By building on the foundations of Horizon 2020, the programme has shifted from focusing on isolated technologies to adopting integrated, cross-sectoral solutions. This evolution has positioned Europe to maintain leadership in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and advanced materials. However, the programme’s ability to adapt to the rapidly evolving technological landscape remains constrained at the project level. Large-scale, multi-year projects often struggle to pivot in response to emerging needs, calling for greater agility in specific areas.
European Partnerships have been instrumental in consolidating European value chains and addressing market fragmentation.
These partnerships foster collaboration and trust among stakeholders, lower investment risks, and strengthen competitiveness in strategic areas. For example, partnerships in semiconductors, High Performance Computing and Smart Network and Services have enabled. Nevertheless, their integration with the broader programme requires further refinement to avoid silos and enhance coherence. Better alignment between partnerships and Horizon Europe’s overarching objectives could further amplify their impact, particularly in enabling cross-sectoral collaboration and systemic solutions.
Globally, Horizon Europe has laid the groundwork for Europe’s leadership in strategic technologies, supporting sectors such as computing and space.
While its targeted investments have driven advancements, declining global patent shares in key enabling technologies and limited international collaboration point to opportunities for improvement. A more ambitious and targeted internationalisation strategy is needed to address dependencies, enhance competitiveness, and foster partnerships with global leaders. Such a strategy should balance securing Europe’s strategic interests with the benefits of collaboration in complex technology fields.
The programme’s emphasis on inclusiveness and societal engagement is another key strength.
By fostering a human-centred and ethical approach to innovation, Horizon Europe enhances societal acceptance of new technologies. Its focus on gender equality, skills development, and ethical practices contributes to building a sustainable and inclusive workforce capable of advancing Europe’s twin digital and green transitions. However, barriers, such as limited industrial absorption capacity and insufficient standardisation activities, must be addressed to fully realise the potential of innovations.
Horizon Europe has also demonstrated strong internal and external coherence.
The programme has created synergies across clusters and with external programmes such as Digital Europe and the Space Programme. Despite this progress, more streamlined collaboration across EU funding mechanisms and improved coordination with national and regional policies are needed to optimise impact and avoid fragmentation.
This evaluation reaffirms Horizon Europe’s critical role as a driver of Europe’s research, innovation, and industrial transformation.
Its systemic approach has strengthened Europe’s position as a global leader in strategic technologies while fostering resilience and competitiveness. By addressing challenges in project agility, partnership integration, and global collaboration, Horizon Europe can further amplify its impact, ensuring it continues to lead Europe’s digital and industrial transformation into the future.
Want to read more? Check out the full report!
Read the full report here to learn more about the study’s concrete suggestions. The findings are intended to be valuable not only for the next phase of the current programme (through to 2027) but also FP10, the next EU framework programme. The 11 partnerships reports provide a full overview of the developments of digital and industrial ecosystems in the last 10 years and cover 4 co-programmed partnerships (ADRA, Photonics, Made in Europe, Processes4planet), 4 Joint Undertakings (EuroHPC, KDT, SNS, Metrology) and 3 EIT KIC (EIT Manufacturing, EIT Raw Materials, EIT Digital).
You might also be interested in reading up on Technopolis Group’s work evaluating Horizon Europe’s contribution to the Green Transition.
