The massive increase in the Horizon Europe budget, which now totals €95.5 billion, gives a clear political message at a European level that Research and Innovation are key factors that drive our future, Research Minister Owen Bonnici said. 

Speaking during a Horizon Europe Malta Launch Event at Esplora, the Minister of Research, Innovation and co-ordination of the post-Covid-19 strategy Owen Bonnici said that, undoubtedly, Horizon Europe is the most ambitious EU funding programme for research and innovation ever and the largest transnational programme of its kind worldwide.

Bonnici said that such importance to R&I is also being echoed at national level through various decisions which were taken, including the creation of a new whole Ministry dedicated to Research and Innovation, the increase in the budget of the national Research and Innovation programme managed by MCST and the investment in European Partnerships and other national schemes managed by MCST aimed at increasing the participation of Maltese entities in Horizon Europe.

"The active participation of Maltese entities and researchers in the EU R&I programme will result in the creation of markets and jobs in Malta. Maltese participation will also attract the best talents to stay in Malta and others to come to Malta; whether as individual researchers or larger companies to set up their Research, Development and Innovation Departments here," said Bonnici.

Minister Bonnici said that the launch of this programme marks the start of the European Innovation Council, which will help accelerate the scaling up of breakthrough technologies, which could in turn result into game-changing innovation, thanks to direct assistance to the most promising and innovative start-ups, and SMEs, leading to a new generation of world-leading companies based in Europe.

"The fact that the EU's Research and Innovation framework programme Horizon Europe is proposing a 'Missions approach' can help set broad and ambitious goals in addressing societal challenges.  R&I can help us reconcile economic growth and productivity with quality of life and public health, whilst ensuring the highest level of environmental protection," Minister Bonnici said.

Dr Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, Executive Chairman of the Malta Council for Science and Technology said that "Malta's participation has increased over the years" which indicates that the importance of R & I is being recognised in Malta.