The European Union multiannual budget plan 2014-2020 has recently been announced and education consists one of the priority funding areas at EU level.
The plan foresees 3 new programmes for education, culture and research:
1) a new integrated programme of €15.2 billion for education, training and youth, which will be titled "Education Europe". The new program aims to minimise fragmentation of current instruments and will focus on developing skills and mobility. The Education Europe programme will have the following priorities:
- Support of trans-national learning mobility
- Foster co-operation between education institutions and the world of work
- Provide policy support to gather evidence on the effectiveness of education investments and help Member States to implement effective policies.
2) a new programme for the cultural and creative sector worth €1.6 billion, which will be titled "Creative Europe".
3) a common strategic framework of €80 billion for research and development, which will be titled "Horizon 2020". The framework will include the Marie Curie actions for skills, training and career development of researchers and the European Institute for Innovation and Technology.