EU Commissioner Ivanova: EU Leads Funding for Climate Action Research

Jerusalem, 28 November, 2023 (TPS) -- European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Iliana Ivanova, said in an interview for BTA that the European Union is one of the leading sources of funding for research featured in the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), thanks to the Horizon Europe program. Ivanova added that the IPCC is among the most reputable sources of knowledge on climate change.

EU research and innovation programs have contributed to more than 4,500 publications cited by the IPCC, Ivanova noted. The EU ranks second among the funders most frequently acknowledged in the evidence supporting IPCC reports. “In terms of numbers: 35% of the more than EUR 95 billion Horizon Europe budget (2012-2027) is earmarked for climate action. Over EUR 1 billion of this will be invested in the development of climate research,” she said.

Ivanova also highlighted EU-funded innovation projects in Bulgaria in the field of climate action.

Bulgaria’s Hydrogen Valley is among the 9 EU-wide projects selected for funding by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership. Located near Stara Zagora, Southern Bulgaria, it aims to produce at least 500 tons of hydrogen a year. The EU is funding it with a grant of EUR 8 million. The project coincides with the research and innovation approach as outlined in the EU’s hydrogen strategy, REPowerEU and the upcoming Hydrogen Valley Roadmap.

Ivanova pointed out that Bulgaria is participating in an ongoing research project on small modular reactors, which is co-funded by a EUR 2.9 million program of the European Atomic Energy Community. The project involves the Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Technical University of Sofia.