Wednesday, August 27th, 2025
On 16 July 2025, the European Commission published its formal proposal for the next phase of Horizon Europe (2028-2034), marking a decisive step forward in shaping the EU’s future research and innovation agenda. Backed by a proposed budget of €175 billion, the programme is designed to drive excellence in science, foster innovation ecosystems, and strengthen Europe’s global competitiveness.
But what does this mean for the logistics and freight transport community, and for those of us working on making freight transport and logistics decarbonized, efficient, resilient and competitive through innovation in areas such as digitalization, automation or Physical Internet?
This article summarises what we at ALICE have extracted from the official text, highlighting what’s new, what stays, and why these matters for the future of European transport and logistics R&I.
FP10, the informal shorthand for the tenth EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, is now formally embodied in Horizon Europe 2028-2034. The Commission’s proposal maintains the core structure of Horizon Europe, while sharpening the focus on key political and societal priorities – many of which directly touch the logistics domain.
From climate neutrality and global competitiveness to digital leadership and infrastructure development, the programme reflects the EU’s ambition to scale up collaborative research and industrial deployment.
In parallel, the European Competitiveness Fund will channel additional investment into areas such as clean tech, mobility, and energy systems- potentially unlocking further support for projects focused on sustainable freight.
According to the EARTO summary and the Commission proposal, Horizon Europe will benefit from a €79.5 billion budget increase compared to the previous cycle. Notably, the “Competitiveness & Society” pillar, under which many logistics-related activities fall, receives an additional €22.4 billion, a 42% increase.
Within this pillar, four thematic “policy windows” have been defined:
The scale of these increases signals a strong political will to accelerate the twin transitions: green and digital. For freight and logistics innovation, particularly in relation to decarbonisation, digital twins, data governance, and multimodal solutions, this is good news.
The newly proposed Specific Programme lays out how Horizon Europe will be implemented and funded. Some of the most relevant features for ALICE and its stakeholders include:
Collaborative R&I remains a cornerstone of the programme. The Commission underscores its intention to mobilise actors across the value chain, from academia and SMEs to large industry and public authorities. For the logistics sector, this model remains vital in bringing systemic innovations like the Physical Internet to market.
New mechanisms will support pan-European innovation ecosystems, enabling start-ups, scale-ups and research institutions to collaborate more closely. This includes enhanced access to resources such as experimentation facilities, mentoring networks, investment opportunities, and digital infrastructure.
For ALICE, this aligns with our vision to build cross-border innovation clusters around sustainable logistics technologies and governance models.
The programme reinforces the role of European Partnerships. These must now demonstrate stronger governance, pan-European representation, measurable objectives, and credible phasing-out strategies. Projects such as 2Zero, CCAM, and others linked to decarbonised mobility will benefit from clearer expectations and performance tracking- creating a more transparent and impactful research ecosystem.
One of the most remarkable changes is a 353% increase in funding for research and technology infrastructures (RTIs), from €2.4B to €10.9B. These infrastructures are critical for logistics R&D, especially for real-world testing, large-scale data integration, and demonstrations across Europe’s logistics corridors.
The focus will be on:
There is a strong emphasis on ensuring inclusivity and geographic balance. The programme targets transition and “widening” countries, aiming to build capacity and foster cross-border excellence. This presents an opportunity for ALICE members in these regions to participate more actively in flagship projects and European partnerships.
The legislative proposal will now move through the Council and European Parliament for debate and adoption. Once approved, the Commission will work on defining the work programmes, operational documents that specify calls, timelines, funding mechanisms and implementation guidelines.
For the logistics and transport research community, it is essential to monitor these developments closely and engage during consultations and public stakeholder forums.
The Horizon Europe 2028-2034 proposal represents not just a continuation, but a scaling-up of the EU’s innovation ambitions. For ALICE and the broader logistics innovation community, it provides a strategic framework to advance the Physical Internet vision, deepen digital integration, and accelerate the journey to zero-emission logistics.
We will continue to track the evolution of the Specific Programme and work with our members to ensure that logistics innovation remains high on the EU R&I agenda.
Read the paper fully: EUR-Lex – 52025PC0544 – EN – EUR-Lex