Latin America and Caribbean

Bi-regional cooperation on research and innovation is part of the broader dialogue between the EU and CELAC, steered at the political level by EU-CELAC Summits. The EU seeks to strengthen its strategic partnership with the LAC region through a New Agenda for Relations between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The EU and CELAC aim to develop a bi-regional Common Research Area, helping researchers reach out across the Atlantic and work together more closely. To achieve this objective, the Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation (JIRI) was established in 2010 with the aim of enhancing EU-CELAC cooperation on science and research.

The Common Research Area is based on four pillars:

1. Mobility of researchers
2. Cooperation among the research infrastructures
3. Global challenges
4. Innovation

Senior Officials Meetings (SOMs) are convened regularly, alternating between Europe and CELAC, to discuss the cooperation in the JIRI.

The 2020 meeting of senior officials prepared a Strategic Roadmap for the research and innovation cooperation between the two regions, defining several priority areas for the years 2021 – 2023, including health, green transition, digital transformation and innovation. This Strategic Roadmap is an evolving document that is regularly reviewed by the Senior Officials as new priorities emerge.

Following the 2020 meeting of the senior officials, the new ‘EU-CELAC Strategic Roadmap for Research and Innovation cooperation’ was adopted as Commission decision and endorsed by the Council. This document covers the period 2021 – 2023 and describes the joint bi-regional priorities for research and innovation cooperation, with particular focus on the following priorities:

• Global challenges: health, green transition and digital
• Research infrastructures, including thematic areas and open access to data
• Mobility of researchers, their training and reinforcing existing tools and instruments
• Innovation

At the most recent meeting of the EU and CELAC Senior Officials, held in Brussels in November 2023, it was agreed to jointly revise the Strategic Roadmap and adapt it for the next years; this process is currently under way.

The Global Gateway Investment Agenda is Europe’s flagship global initiative that supports smart investments in quality infrastructure, respecting the highest social and environmental standards, in line with the EU’s values and standards. Latin America and the Caribbean have a particular place in this flagship action and Europe will over the next years invest over €45 billion to support this reinforced partnership, helping bring innovative solutions where they are needed most.

The EU has also established a partnership with the LAC region for the manufacturing of vaccines, medicines and health technologies and strengthening health systems. This initiative, launched in June 2022 also contains a research and innovation component, aiming to boost research and innovation, exchanging scientific knowledge and policy and regulatory expertise between actors in Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The EU also has formal science and technology cooperation agreements with four countries in the region: Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico.

Horizon Europe

Horizon Europe, the European Union’s framework programme for research and innovation,  is open to the world, which means that participants from almost any country can participate in most calls. The EU can fund the participation in Horizon Europe collaborative research actions of entities established in EU Member States, in countries Associated to Horizon Europe, and in low- and middle-income countries. Several LAC countries are included in this latter category.

For other countries, in principle*, the EU does not provide funding for the participation of their research entities in collaborative research projects, so they are expected to bring their own funding to the table.

*In exceptional cases, the Commission or the relevant funding body may consider that funding the participation of a legal entity is essential for implementing the action (Article 23.2(b) of the Horizon Europe Regulation)

European Research Council

The European Research Council offers grants to researchers in all research domains for frontier research. Researchers from Latin American and Caribbean countries are welcome to apply and if selected are eligible for funding to establish a research group in Europe. Grants are available for researchers starting or consolidating their independent career and for advanced researchers. Synergy grants are also available, where a group of 2-4 Principal Investigators (PIs) may include one PI outside the EU or countries associated to Horizon Europe, to tackle together an ambitious research problem, with all funded by the ERC.

Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions

Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions offer fellowships for post-doctoral researchers from Latin America and the Caribbean (and other countries) to spend up to 2 years in a European group – or for European researchers to spend up to 2 years in Latin America and the Caribbean. Also offers opportunities for LAC institutions to participate in Doctoral Training Networks and Staff Exchange consortia.

Research project database (CORDIS)

EU-funded research projects involving Latin America and the Caribbean

You can also visit the Horizon Dashboard, which is a one-stop shop for data and statistics on the EU Research and Innovation Programmes – from FP1 to Horizon Europe.

National Contact Points

The National Contact Points (NCPs) provide guidance, practical information and assistance on all aspects of participation in Horizon Europe.

European Commission

RTD-03-ASSISTec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DG Research and Innovation unit 03: International cooperation)

Euraxess LAC

Euraxess LAC provides access to a complete range of information and support services for researchers in Latin American and Caribbean countries wishing to pursue a research career in Europe or looking for collaboration opportunities through Horizon Europe.