Horizon Europe will encourage international participation in different ways such as

• topics encouraging or requiring international cooperation
• joint or coordinated calls
• exceptional EU funding for participants from non-associated third countries
• twinning activities with entities from non-associated non-EU countries
• topics contributing to the implementation of multilateral or bilateral agreements or initiatives

The programme also includes targeted actions with key partners from non-EU countries, including the development of the Africa initiative that will draw on topics across the clusters of pillar II of Horizon Europe.

Which countries will be associated to Horizon Europe?

Association to Horizon Europe is the closest form of cooperation with non-EU countries, which allows entities of associated countries to participate in programme actions on equal terms with entities of EU countries.

It is offered not only to EU neighbouring countries, but to any country in the world with a strong research and innovation capacity that share common values.

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 neighborhood policy countries
• non-EU countries  and territories that fulfil a set of criteria related to their economic, political and research and innovation systems

The following countries have expressed a formal interest in association to Horizon Europe as of June 2021: 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.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSC 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence

Regularly updated progress on association talks

Questions and answers on the United Kingdom's participation in Horizon Europe

Factsheets:

International cooperation in Horizon Europe

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