The Commission has started official negotiations with South Korea on the country’s association to Horizon Europe, bringing it a step closer to ensuring that Korean researchers can fully benefit from participation in the six Clusters of Horizon Europe’s Pillar II.
The Commission received its negotiating mandate for the official talks with South Korea (and Japan) earlier this month and had to wait for the national negotiating positions to be adopted.
As previously reported by UKRO, the negotiating mandates follow a template for the participation of non-EU countries in EU programmes, which had been developed by the Commission prior to the launch of the current generation of EU spending programmes back in 2021. They include provisions related to the potential financial contributions of non-EU countries to Horizon Europe’s budget, reciprocal access to national R&I programmes, as well as the scope of countries’ association. For South Korea and Japan, the Commission has the mandate to offer association to Pillar II ‘Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness’ of Horizon Europe only.
The negotiations will proceed in the coming months with the goal of reaching an agreement by the end of the year. The Commission had previously expressed its desire to have South Korea and several other countries formally associated to Horizon Europe by the end of 2023.
Update on the association of other non-European countries
Formal negotiations with New Zealand on the association to Horizon Europe were concluded before the end of 2022 and the association agreement is currently pending ratification on both sides. In the meantime, as previously reported by UKRO, organisations from New Zealand are covered by a special transitional arrangement, which allows them to be included in applications to upcoming Horizon calls as beneficiaries requesting EU funding.
Canada is still negotiating its participation terms with the Commission and is expected to become associated to Horizon Europe during 2023.
Japan is yet to officially start its negotiations with the EU.
Further information about international cooperation and the association policy of Horizon Europe is available in UKRO’s dedicated factsheet (link in the “Related content” section on the right).