The European Commission presented today (30 November) its €80-billion research funding programme for the decade - Horizon 2020 - with the aim of boosting research, stimulating innovation and simplifying the way scientists and smaller businesses can get funding for EU-backed projects.

The Horizon 2020 programme brings together all EU research and innovation funding under a single scheme running from 2014 to 2020.

It replaces the Seventh Framework Programme for research (FP7), which expires in 2013.

Defending Horizon 2020’s launch in a time of austerity, EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn said the programme would serve as a driver for European growth.