© Berthgmn
© Berthgmn

Horizon 2020 application success rate drops

An analysis of the first two years of Horizon 2020 has highlighted the growing competition for EU research funding.

The chances of securing a grant are now around half of what they were in Framework Programme 7.

According to figures published this week the likelihood of attaining a grant from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 research programme are around one in nine.

This is a fall from the average 19-21% odds in the preceding Framework Programme 7, which ran between 2007 and 2013.

The analysis, based on 152,627 Horizon 2020 applications received in 2015, shows that many proposals to the €77bn programme received top marks from evaluators did not get funded.

The report says: ‘Horizon 2020 would have needed €41.6bn more in the first two years to fund all proposals deemed excellent by independent evaluators.’

The UK, which is preparing to leave the EU following a referendum in June, is Horizon 2020’s most enthusiastic participant, submitting 18,566 proposals, and is the largest recipient of funding. Germany, Italy and Spain follow closely.

Overall, 39% of applications were from university researchers, 35.2% from the private sector and 18.4% from research organisations, in the first two years of the programme.

Public bodies had the lowest application rate at 3.5%, but the highest success rate.

More researchers from outside the EU applied for grants in 2015 than in 2014. Submissions from the US, China, Canada and Australia make up almost half of all successful applications from outside Europe.

Despite the abundance in applications, more than 90% of all grant agreements were signed by the commission within the eight month target.