Third Meeting of the EU-Republic of Armenia Joint Research and Innovation Committee under Horizon Europe

The third meeting of the EU-Armenia Joint Research and Innovation (R&I) Committee under the agreement associating Armenia to Horizon Europe took place in Brussels on 15 October 2024. The meeting was co-chaired by Ms. Anne Haglund-Morrissey, Deputy Head of the "International Cooperation - Europe and Americas" Unit, Directorate-General for R&I of the European Commission, and Mr. Artur Martirosyan, Deputy Minister for Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia. 

The EU co-chair welcomed the Armenian delegation and put the role of R&I into the context of EU competitiveness and sustainable growth in line with the European Commission's Political Guidelines and the Draghi Report. Ms. Haglund-Morrissey noted that the new EU-Armenia Partnership Agenda will bring further momentum to bilateral R&I cooperation. The EU representative commended the Republic of Armenia for the tangible progress in the implementation of key R&I policy reforms, emphasising the role of the Framework Programme in supporting the Republic of Armenia’s research capacity. She also highlighted the country’s excellent performance in Horizon Europe which has already exceeded budgetary figures in Horizon 2020.

The Armenian co-chair acknowledged the political will on both sides to deepen cross-sectoral collaboration, including in R&I. The Deputy Minister briefly presented recent developments in the Republic of Armenia, namely the soon-to-be adopted Law on Higher Education and Science, the re-organisation of the Science Committee, and the Academic City project. Mr. Martirosyan underlined the critical function of the Scientific and Innovation Partnership Assistance Center to facilitate higher Armenian participation in Horizon Europe. He further expressed commitment to strengthen involvement in the European Research Area (ERA), utilise other Horizon Europe tools, and continue engagement on the Eastern Partnership level. 

Both delegations discussed updates on essential R&I policy developments, particularly the 2025-2027 ERA Policy Agenda. The South-Caucasian partner reported on progress in relation to three actions – research assessment, research careers, and research infrastructures – in which substantial strides have been made. Fundamentally, public funding for research and devlopment was increased by over 50% in the past three years. The EU side invited the Republic of Armenia to actively contribute to the ongoing Multilateral Dialogue on Principles and Values in international R&I cooperation, underscoring the importance of research security and science diplomacy. The Armenian side, in turn, showed keen interest to continue aligning its national R&I priorities with EU policy initiatives. 

The exchange addressed the state of play of the implementation of the EU-Armenia Horizon Europe Association Agreement, including the principle of reciprocity and the Republic of Armenia’s financial contribution for 2024. In addition, both sides explored ways to maximise involvement in upcoming Horizon Europe Programme Committee configurations and specific Horizon Europe actions such as European Research Council grants and European Innovation Council-funded initiatives.

Discussions further included collaboration opportunities within the Eastern Partnership Informal Working Group on R&I and the Smart Specialisation process in the Republic of Armenia, with lessons learnt from other non-EU countries. Advancement in the implementation of the Horizon 2020 Policy Support Facility report and activites of the National Contact Points were also reviewed.

The meeting concluded with both parties reaffirming their commitment to deepening R&I cooperation. The EU co-chair thanked the Armenian delegation for the constructive dialogue and expressed her anticipation for the fourth meeting next year in Yerevan. While the Armenian co-chair reaffirmed the positive trends of the Armenian scientific community, he insisted that national efforts are to be widened to achieve more milestones in the second part of Horizon Europe.

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International cooperation with Armenia