The European Commission announced on Tuesday, 22 July 2014, the response to the first Horizon 2020 calls with over 17,000 proposals submitted by end-June, seeking nine times the available funding.

This is a substantial increase from the previous 7th Framework Programme (FP7) and a higher level of competition. There has been a notable increase in applications from industry, with business applications to the "industrial leadership" and "societal challenges" pillars of Horizon representing 44% of the total compared with 30% under comparable areas of FP7. SME participation is particularly strong, with over 5,500 SME applications to the Horizon calls on encouraging leadership in enabling and industrial technologies. 

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