The Global Challenges and European Industrial Competiveness pillar supports research relating to societal challenges and reinforces technological and industrial capacities through 6 CLUSTERS.

It sets EU-missions with ambitious goals tackling some of our biggest problems. More information on Missions is available here.

It also includes activities pursued by the Joint Research Centre which supports EU and national policymakers with independent scientific evidence and technical support.

Social sciences and humanities are fully integrated across all clusters, including specific and dedicated activities.

Pillar II covers activities from a broad range of Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs),
including lower TRLs.

Pillar II holds the lion’s share of the HE programme funding.
 
Pillar II supports research projects carried out by international and inter-disciplinary consortia. The projects address specific pre-defined topics proposed by the EC which fall into six different clusters, each of them focused on specific global societal and industrial challenges. More information on the specific content of each cluster is available by clicking the links below:

1. Health
2. Culture Creativity and Inclusive Society
3. Civil Security for Society
4. Digital Industry & Space
5. Climate, Energy & Mobility
6. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture & Environment