Countries 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 covered in Article 16 of the Horizon Europe Regulation.
It is offered not only to EU neighbouring countries, but also to any country in the world with
- a good capacity in science, technology and innovation
- commitment to a rules-based open market economy, including fair and equitable dealing with intellectual property rights, respect of human rights, backed by democratic institutions
- active promotion of policies to improve the economic and social well-being of citizens
There are four categories of countries eligible for association with the programme
- members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) which are members of the European Economic Area (EEA)
- acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates
- European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) countries
- other third countries and territories that fulfil a set of criteria related to their economic, political and research and innovation systems
Association agreements
Horizon Europe is the most open and one of the largest research and innovation programme globally. Association of non-EU countries to the programme is one of the key vehicles to ensure openness. Associated membership is the closest form of cooperation in research and innovation for non-EU countries, providing, as far as possible, the same rights and obligations to these countries’ research and innovation entities as those accorded to entities of EU Member States. It makes it easier to work on and fund joint projects.
Association expands the opportunities for national researchers and entities to collaborate with partners in the EU and in other Associated Countries, across a broad range of topics. The associated country provides a financial contribution to the EU budget based on an international agreement with the EU.
Regularly updated progress on association talks
Association to Horizon Europe: State of Play