The overall R&I relations between Egypt and the EU are governed by a Science and Technology cooperation agreement signed in 2005. Hence, this year marks 20 years since the signature of the EU-Egypt STI agreement. An EU-Egypt Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee (JSTCC) was established with the aim of implementing the S&T cooperation agreement.
Research and innovation have always been among the main pillars of our EU cooperation with Egypt. R&I are positively perceived by both sides as enabling cross-cutting sectors that are at the heart of achieving the SDGs, combating climate change, addressing regional water and food security challenges, fostering employability and economic growth as well as regional integration. The EU and Egypt aim to strengthen cooperation on R&I as a means to achieve sustainable economic development, and as a way to push forward scientific diplomacy. Research and innovation are cross cutting sectors in the 2024 EU-Egypt Comprehensive and Strategic Partnership.
EU – Egypt Current R&I Cooperation Portfolio
Egypt’s R&I expenditure is around 0.96% of GDP (up from 0.5% in 2012) which is far below the EU-27 average of 2.26%. Egypt has a wealth of scientists including around 140,000 researchers affiliated to public research centres and universities. Egypt's Vision 2030, the National Strategy of Higher Education and Scientific Research, stresses the need to strengthen the frameworks facilitating international cooperation. In that context, Egypt aims to encourage international collaboration and to adopt a mechanism for the uptake of research results by the industry and market.
The EU mainly supports R&I cooperation with Egypt through Horizon Europe - the flagship for R&I cooperation in the EUROMED region and the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean (PRIMA). In both Programmes Egypt holds a remarkable cooperation portfolio which is expected to consistently increase with the extension of PRIMA and with Egypt’s upcoming Association to Horizon Europe.
Engagement in Horizon Europe
Egypt officially joined Horizon Europe on 22 October 2025 with the signing of the Association Agreement unlocking new opportunities for scientific collaboration and becoming the second African country to take part in the EU’s multibillion-euro research and innovation funding programme. As a result of association, Egyptian entities have access to all parts of the Horizon Europe programme on similar terms with EU Member States. They can now join and/or lead research consortia and be funded directly from the programme, enabling them to contribute to cutting-edge research and tackle global challenges as well as engage in initiatives supporting national research reforms and institutional capacity-building.
Egypt current Participation in Horizon Europe (2021-2024)
-
Egypt is a partner in 44 programmes under Horizon Europe
-
EU contribution to Egyptian beneficiaries is around € 5.7 million.
-
Programmes span across multiple sectors including food, water, environment, agriculture, archaeology, migration, energy.
-
Beneficiaries include universities, research centres, public entities and private sector: Cairo University, Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, North South Consultancy
-
Egypt has an overall success rate of 15% in the programme (compared to 16% for EU)
-
Highest areas of interest for Egyptian beneficiaries include mobility, food, agriculture and environment, climate and energy.
Engagement in PRIMA
The Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) is the largest and most ambitious joint programme in the history of the Euro-Mediterranean R&I cooperation. Egypt joined PRIMA since its inception in 2019 (calls extended till 2027). PRIMA aims to build research and innovation capacities and to develop knowledge and common innovative solutions for agro-food systems, to contribute to solving water scarcity, food security, nutrition, health, well-being and migration problems upstream.
-
Till the end of the programme, the EU's contribution to PRIMA prgrammes will be up to €325 million from (€220 million from Horizon 2020 and €105 million from Horizon Europe) while the Participating States contribution is approximately €384 million for the same period. In 2023, the EU agreed to provide an additional EUR 105 million to PRIMA programming extension. Egypt also extended its commitment to PRIMA by an additional 11 million EUR (the original commitment was 30 million EUR).
-
The extension of PRIMA entailed an extension of the EU-Egypt existing PRIMA agreement. To date, the EU and Egypt reached an agreement on the text of the PRIMA extension and its finalisation is expected March 2025.
Egypt current cooperation portfolio under PRIMA (2019-2024):
-
92 programmes (mainly addressing water management and agro-food value chains)
-
123 beneficiaries involved
-
Overall contribution of around €17 million to Egyptian beneficiaries
-
Egyptian partners include research centres, universities, public entities but also private SMEs example Agriculture research Center, national research Center, American University, Cairo University, Agrimatic Farms.
Key Messages and Future Cooperation
-
Egyptian and European researchers have been working together under the EU Research and Innovation framework programmes for many years; we can do more.
-
We look forward to further collaboration under Horizon Europe. Association to Horizon Europe is the closest form of international cooperation in R&I with non-EU countries and could allow Egyptian researchers to access world-class research facilities in Europe.
-
Egypt has a leading role in PRIMA. Together with Italy, Egypt has been the PRIMA co-chair since its inception. Egypt showed a high commitment to the programme and to working with the EU to address the pressing regional challenges of food security and water management, where research and innovation play an indispensable role. We look forward to further collaboration under the programme.
-
Egypt demonstrated a very active role in Science Diplomacy in the EUROMED region. We would like to continue working with Egypt on championing the much needed science diplomacy initiatives in the region.
-
Egypt is our partner in the context of its strategic role in multiple R&I policy dialogues (Union for the Mediterranean, African Union). Egypt partnered with the EU in setting the priorities for cooperation in both regions, which has led to specific instruments to support these priorities under Horizon Europe. We expect a second round of those geographically targeted initiatives under the new Horizon Europe Work programme to be launched in December 2025.
