International Cooperation in Horizon Europe - Update

CZELO

The European Commission has published the list of approximately 115 Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) whose organisations can be automatically funded through Horizon Europe. The list is very similar to the list used in the previous programme (Horizon 2020). The document also lists the 18 countries currently in the process of Association. This currently does not include Switzerland. Association talks with Switzerland are blocked over political disagreements relating to Swiss contributions to the EU budget and failed negotiations on a new agreement covering EU: Swiss relations. More information on Swiss participation in framework programmes (H2020/ HEU) can be found at Swiss Government webpage.

In Horizon Europe, there are 4 categories of countries eligible for association with the programme:

  • European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members which are members of the European Economic Area (EEA)
  • accession countries, candidate countries and potential candidates
  • European neighbourhood policy countries
  • non-EU countries and territories that fulfil a set of criteria related to their economic, political and research and innovation systems.

As of June 2021, the following countries have expressed a formal interest in association to Horizon Europe: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo*, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Norway, Republic of Moldova, Republic of Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

 

The issue of the association agreement to Horizon Europe was addressed also during The Research and Innovation Days hold on 23 and 24 June 2021, where during a discussion entitled Association in Horizon – Building bridges for a stronger ERA Signe Ratso (DG RTD) said that the Horizon Europe association agreements should be ratified by the end 2021.