Praise for mission goals tinged with doubt

Ambition of suggested Horizon Europe R&D mission goals raises concerns about chances of success

Ambitious goals suggested for the missions being introduced to the next EU R&D programme to increase its impact and public support have been given a cautious welcome by politicians, academics and civil society.

Advisory boards for each of the five planned missions—covering climate change, cancer, smart cities, healthy waters, and soil health—proposed specific goals in early July. Suggestions include the healthy waters goal of “cleaning marine and fresh waters, restoring degraded ecosystems and habitats, decarbonising the blue economy” and the cities goal to “support, promote and showcase 100 European cities in their systemic transformation towards climate neutrality by 2030”.