The European Commission has published a report entitled "Newcomers in EU R&I Programmes," which shows the main trends in Horizon 2020 (2014-2020) and the first elements of Horizon Europe (2021-2027) regarding the engagement of new entities in the Framework Programmes for R&I funding at European level.

According to the review, more than two thirds of Horizon 2020 project beneficiaries were 'newcomers': entities that were not funded under the previous Framework Programme, FP7, and which received less than 20% of the funding made available. Only Member States that joined the European Union after 2004 are an exception, as 'newcomers' receive more funding in all categories for their projects.

This tracking of the 'newcomers' shows that a large part of these beneficiaries are private for-profit companies, namely SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises).

This report has shown that the percentage of 'newcomers' as an indicator should be used with caution, as should comparisons between different components of the programme targeting similar types of beneficiaries and actions specifically aimed at broadening participation in the framework programme.

See the full report here.