The European Commission and Australia have concluded negotiations for the nation to secure enhanced access to Horizon Europe – the EU’s €93.5 billion (£79 billion) funding programme for research and innovation. Following more than 30 years of collaborative research efforts, Australia will have the ability to directly access funding and spearhead projects starting in 2027.
Conversations regarding the practical, legal, and financial aspects of Australia potentially joining pillar II of Horizon Europe commenced last year. This pillar concentrates on research initiatives aimed at sectors such as healthcare, renewable energy, and digital technologies.
“Once the agreement is finalized later this year, our researchers, innovators, and industries will be even better positioned to collaborate on the technologies of the future,” states Ekaterina Zaharieva, the EU’s commissioner for startups, research, and innovation, on LinkedIn. “In a period when the globe requires increased cooperation to tackle common challenges, this is our response: international research collaboration.” Australia will also now make financial contributions to the programme.
So far, more than 20 non-EU countries are linked to Horizon Europe, including Canada, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK. Japan successfully finished negotiations for association with Horizon Europe in December, while India and the EU initiated discussions on potential association earlier this year.