Since 1 January 2024, UK researchers are able to participate in the Horizon Europe programme on the same terms as researchers from other associated countries, which means they can lead consortia and have direct access to Horizon Europe funding. The UK's association to Horizon Europe will deepen the EU's relationship with the UK in research and innovation, bringing together research communities to tackle global challenges such as climate change, digital transformation and health.

On Monday 12 February, Commissioner Ivanova met with UK Secretary of State for Science Innovation and Technology, Michelle Donelan in London. Together, they opened an event on Horizon Europe association at the Royal Society, which brought together over 300 participants from academia, industry, UK government and representatives from EU Member State Embassies and the UK Science and Innovation Network.

EUD

During her opening speech, Commissioner Ivanova talked of a “renaissance” in the EU-UK relationship, and a “clear win-win for both sides”.

While in London, the Commissioner also visited the Francis Crick Institute, a leading biomedical research centre and a strong participant in Horizon Europe. Her visit was hosted by Sir Paul Nurse, Nobel Prize laureate and CEO of the institute, and she was accompanied by the Minister for AI and Entrepreneurship, Viscount Camrose, on behalf of the UK government. EU-funded projects at the Crick are helping advance understanding and treatment of neuromuscular diseases, short bowel syndrome, and links between the nervous system and cancer, among many other health challenges affecting our societies.

The Commissioner then visited Edinburgh, where she met with the Scottish Minister for Higher and Further Education, Graeme Dey. She also exchanged with senior representatives of 16 Scottish universities and met with students of the University of Edinburgh. The University of Edinburgh is another major participant in the EU’s research and innovation programme. The University hosts the Bayes Centre, an Innovation Hub for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, which the Commissioner also discovered.

In an op-ed on The i newspaper marking the visit Commissioner Ivanova wrote how the UK re-joining Horizon is a “win-win for both sides and marks a new chapter in EU-UK relationship”.

Background

Horizon Europe is the biggest international research and innovation programme in the world with more than £80 billion (€93 billion) of funding available over seven years (2021 to 2027) from the EU budget, to which all associated countries are adding further contributions. It is open to the world, which means that participants can take part in most calls, regardless of where they are based. Researchers from associated countries have even greater access, they can lead projects and receive direct funding from the programme. The programme supports major research and innovation projects and international partnerships helping to tackle global challenges.

Questions & Answers can be found here, as well as in this FAQ

UK association to Horizon Europe

UK national contact points for Horizon Europe