Which parts of the Horizon Europe programme were more or less preferred by the Czech participants? III

The post from May 26, 2023, dealt with the structure of the Czech Republic’s participation in the Horizon Europe programme (hereinafter referred to as "HE") according to topics of the Pillar II. However, even topics, as defined by the European Commission, are still too broad. In cluster 6, for example, they group together biodiversity and the circular economy or farm-to-fork strategy, community development and climate action. That is why it is important to deal with the thematic structure of Czech Republic’s participation in the Pillar II on the destination level. We work with the European Commission's eCORDA database as of April 26, 2023, too, i.e. with 390 Czech Republic’s participations in the Pillar II entitled to a net EU contribution of €143 million.

At most, Czech entities participated in two destinations of Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry and Space), namely the Key Digital Technologies Joint Undertaking (24 participations) and the destination Digital and Emerging Technologies for Competitiveness and Fit for the Green Deal (18 participations). 8 destinations from Cluster 5 (Climate, Energy and Mobility), 4 destinations from Cluster 6 (Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment) and another 3 destinations from Cluster 4 also reported 10 or more participations.

Czech subjects in the Pillar II together coordinated 21 projects. The following destinations reported 2 co-ordinations:

• from Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry and Space) World Leading Data and Computing Technologies, A Human-Centered and Ethical Development of Digital and Industrial Technologies and Twin Green and Digital Transition,
• from Cluster 5 (Climate, Energy and Mobility) Climate Science and Responses for the Transformation towards Climate Neutrality,
• from Cluster 6 (Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment) Land, Ocean and Water for Climate Action
• and joint undertakings in aviation (Clean Aviation and SESAR3).

The highest net EU contribution was claimed by Czech participants in the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (€17.6 million). Czech participants of the Living and Working in a Health-Promoting Environment destination from Cluster 1 (Health) and the SESAR3 Joint Undertaking claimed approximately €8 million each. A net EU contribution of more than €5 million was reported by Czech participants in the other three destinations of Custer 5 (Climate, Energy and Mobility) and in the destinations Digital and Emerging Technologies for Competitiveness and Fit for the Green Deal (€7.4 million) and Land, Ocean and Water for Climate Action (€7.3 million).

Within the Pillar II, Czech entities together claimed 1.1% of net EU contribution. At the destination level, the situation is as follows. A significantly above-average net EU contribution was claimed by Czech participants in the following destinations:

• aviation – SESAR3 (4.2%) and Clean Aviation (2.7%) joint undertakings,
• Land, Water and Ocean for Climate Action from Cluster 6 (4%),
• Border Management (2.8%) and Fighting Crime and Terrorism from Cluster 3 (2%),
  rail transport (Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking, 2.7%),
• Living and Working in a Health-Promoting Environment from Cluster 1 (2.4%),
• Innovative Research on Democracy and Governance from Cluster 2 (2%).

Conversely, domestic entities do not participate in the following destinations:

• coronavirus research and innovation,
• Maintaining an Innovative, Sustainable and Globally Competitive Health Industry from Cluster 1,
• Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking,
• Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking.

Although Czech entities significantly participate in the destinations of Clusters 5 (Climate, Energy and Mobility) and 6 (Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment), the amount of the net EU contribution claimed by them is rather below average. The below-average net EU contribution also applies to cluster 1 (Health), the above-mentioned destination Living and Working in a Health-Promoting Environment excluded. In the case of Cluster 2 and especially Clusters 3 and 4, one can find both destinations with an average or above-average net EU contribution to participants, as well as destinations with significantly below-average net EU contribution – in Cluster 3 destinations Disaster Resilient Society for Europe, in Cluster 4 destinations Open Strategic Autonomy in Developing, Deploying and Using Global Space-Based Infrastructures, Services, Applications and Data, Twin Green and Digital Transition and Increased Autonomy in Key Strategic Value Chains for Resilient Industry. Domestic participation in the joint undertakings Circular Bio-based Europe and Clean Hydrogen is also below average.

Résumé: In the Pillar II of the Horizon Europe programme, Czech entities most often participated in destinations in Clusters 4, 5 and 6. In terms of net EU contribution, Cluster 5 destinations dominated. However, the amount of net EU contribution claimed by Czech entities in these clusters does not correspond to the potential of the Czech Republic and there is room for certain improvement. The Czech Republic is significantly below average in its involvement in space research and the development of hydrogen technologies. On the contrary, at the level of specific destinations, Czech entities participated above average in transport research (aviation, rail transport), research focused on land and water protection, security research, research on health-promoting environment, and research on democracy and governance.

Author: Vladimír Vojtěch, TC Prague, vojtech@tc.cz, 07.06.2023