Second meeting of the EU-Turkiye Horizon Europe Joint Research and Innovation Committee

The second EU- Türkiye Horizon Europe Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) took place on 24 April 2024, in Istanbul under the co-chairmanship of Ms. Signe Ratso, Deputy Director General, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, and Prof. Hasan Mandal, President TUBITAK (Turkish Science and Research Council).  Ms Anne Haglund Morrissey, Deputy Head of Unit, Horizon Europe Association and Cagri Yildirim, Head of EU Framework Programmes Department of TUBITAK, took over co-chairing the Joint Committee Meeting after the initial agenda points.  

This second Joint Committee meeting was an important moment to assess Türkiye’s growing participation in Horizon Europe and address Türkiye’s significant progress in the urban climate initiative, under the Cities Mission, as well as its further integration in the European Research and Innovation Areas.  

The meeting offered a good occasion for the EU to recall the importance of pursuing EU-Türkiye R&I bilateral cooperation based on fundamental values, such as academic freedom, gender equality, diversity, research ethics, open science and evidence-based policy-making.  

Presentations from both sides highlighted the excellent performance of Turkish entities and researchers in the first three years of the implementation of Horizon Europe and identified areas where there is scope for increased participation (e.g. in the Pillar III of HE). The discussions focused on Turkish efforts to align with the European Research Area (ERA), collaboration in the new European Innovation Agenda, the role of research and innovation for sustainable growth and economic security, recognizing the role of AI, and Türkiye’s progress in urban climate initiatives under the EU Cities Mission as well as the European Research Council (EIC) Plug In scheme. Both parties focused on enhancing cooperation, addressing challenges, and leveraging strengths in research and innovation.