Horizon Europe
Horizon Europe is the EU’s ninth framework programme for research and innovation and will run for seven years (2021-2027). As the world’s largest single funding programme for research and innovation, Horizon Europe aims to shape a knowledge- and innovation-driven society and a sustainable economy while contributing to sustainable development.
The total budget of Horizon Europe will amount to around 95.5 billion euros over the seven-year term of the programme. More information from the EU Commission on the development of Horizon Europe can be found here.
Horizon Europe consists of three pillars: ‘Scientific excellence’, ‘Global challenges and European industrial competitiveness’ and ‘Innovative Europe’. The cross-cutting area ‘Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area’ is added to this. From basic research to market maturity of a product, this creates a wide range of opportunities for participation.
The missions are intended to be EU-wide research and innovation instruments that take an interdisciplinary approach to ambitious goals for tackling current social challenges in Europe. They are divided into five thematic areas, the so-called ‘mission areas’:
- Adaptation to climate change, including societal change;
- Cancer;
- Healthy oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters;
- Climate-neutral and smart cities;
- Soil health and nutrition.
The missions are to run for a maximum of 10 years alongside the regular calls for proposals in the Framework Programme and use synergies with other instruments of the Framework Programme, for example through cooperation with thematically appropriate European Partnership Initiatives. They are intended to promote the entire spectrum from basic research to the stage shortly before market launch or introduction into (social) practice. The calls for proposals for the missions will be included in a separate part of the Horizon Europe work programme.
Horizon Europe
The European Commission and the United Kingdom (UK) have reached an agreement on association to Horizon Europe. The association has been in force since 1 January 2024. Researchers and institutions from the UK can now participate in Horizon Europe on an equal footing and once again have direct access to EU funding.
With the signing the Switzerland-EU Programme Agreement on 10 November 2025, Switzerland is once again fully associated with Horizon Europe, retroactively from 1 January 2025.
This means Swiss institutions can now participate without restrictions in all Horizon Europe calls and coordinate projects.
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Current status Horizon package
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Information on the financial guarantee for Swiss participants
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Q&A on the Swiss participation in the EU Framework Programmes
Egypt officially joined Horizon Europe on 22 October 2025. A transitional arrangement had already been in place since 10 April 2025, allowing institutions from Egypt to participate in calls for proposals under the same condotions as EU institutions.
Since 1 January 2025, the Republic of Korea has been able to participate in Pillar II of Horizon Europe under a transitional arrangement. Negotiations on South Korea’s full association with Horizon Europe were concluded in March 2024. The agreement is expected to be ratified in 2025.
On 3 July 2024, the EU Commission and Canada signed the agreement on Canada’s accession to Horizon Europe.
The accession marks an important step in transatlantic research cooperation.
Canadian institutions will be able to participate in Horizon Europe Pillar II projects under the same conditions as EU member states, as has been the case under the transitional arrangement since January 2024.
On 9 July 2023, the European Union and New Zealand signed the Horizon Europe Association Agreement. This allows New Zealand to participate in Pillar II of Horizon Europe on the same terms as EU Member States.
New Zealand uses its own full-cost funding model, which means that overheads are handled differently than in the EU. There is a New Zealand Government funding programme to support this. Further information is available from the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
Horizon 2020
Institutions from the United Kingdom (UK) and Switzerland remain eligible for funding until the end of the duration of the individual projects funded under the EU’s Horizon 2020 framework programme. This applies to both collaborative and individual funding programmes (MSCA and ERC Grants).