Australia’s Chief Negotiator for Horizon Europe met with their European Union counterpart to mark the conclusion of negotiations.
Both sides will now undertake their respective treaty-making procedures. This means Australia is on track to access the world’s largest pooled research funding program for 2027.
Horizon Europe has a budget of €95.5 billion (approximately AUD$155 billion for the for 2021-2027 program, Framework Program 9).
Once associated, Australian researchers and entities can access Horizon Europe funding to lead and participate in research projects. These should aim to tackle the most complex global challenges, and in turn, strengthen industrial competitiveness.
The large pool of funding attracts talented researchers and allows research projects at a scale that would be difficult for Australia to achieve alone.
Australia will associate to Pillar II of the Horizon Europe program for 2027, with priority areas including:
- supply chain security
- critical technologies
- advanced computing
- climate and clean energy
- health
- space
- critical minerals.