EU and Japan launch negotiations for association to Horizon Europe

On 29 November 2024, the EU and Japan launched negotiations for Japan to join Horizon Europe. If successful, this would be the first time Japan takes part in the closest form of cooperation in the field of research and innovation that the EU can offer. With Horizon Europe, the EU has expanded this opportunity to like-minded non-EU countries with a strong science, innovation and technology profile, which are not necessarily located in the geographic proximity of the EU – such as Canada, New Zealand or South Korea, which have already successfully negotiated their association to the programme.

The negotiations concern association to Pillar II of Horizon Europe, which tackles societal challenges through multinational collaborative projects. If successful, Japanese researchers would be able to lead and coordinate their own research and innovation projects under the programme, seek deeper collaboration with partners in the EU as well as from the other associated countries, and get funded.

With the recent association of Canada in July, Horizon Europe now includes 19 Associated Countries. The association of the Republic of Korea is expected to be signed in the coming months to allow its participation from 2025, and negotiations with Egypt and Switzerland are ongoing.

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