Overview
Australia has started non-binding exploratory talks with the European Union on possible association to Horizon Europe.
Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding program for research and innovation.
Australia currently participates in the program as a Third Country Participant. By comparison, Associate Members have greater access to funding and the ability to lead projects. To date 20 non-EU countries are associated to Horizon Europe.
The Australian Government is looking at possible association to Pillar II of Horizon Europe, Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness. Its clusters cover:
health
culture, creativity and inclusive society
civil security for society
digital, industry and space
climate, energy and mobility
food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment.
These align with Australia’s priorities, including the National Science and Research Priorities, National Reconstruction Fund, Future Made in Australia and net zero goals.
To supplement the exploratory talks, our department is seeking information from Australian entities, including:
universities
research centres
small and medium enterprises
industry
academia
learned academies
peak bodies
federal, state and territory government agencies.
We are looking to understand views both for, and against, possible association to Horizon Europe to help the government to make informed decisions.
Submission questions
We invite submissions that address the following questions:
What benefit would association to Horizon Europe bring to your organisation or Australia?
Explain how you calculated the benefit, including monetary value, timeframe, intangible value.
Explain how it would unlock benefits in important sectors for Australia and how it would further the productivity agenda.
If you don’t support association to Horizon Europe, why not?
If you already participate in Horizon Europe as a Third Country Participant, what return on investment have you received?
Explain what difference association would provide you, if any.
Provide case studies that illustrate:
how you or your organisation would engage with Horizon Europe, or
why it is better for Australia not to associate.
If Australia associates to Horizon Europe, what implementation models do you suggest for maximising the benefit from the Horizon Europe funding and alignment with Australian science priorities?
A number of countries from outside Europe have associated to Horizon Europe (such as Canada, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea), what are the pros and cons of their implementation models for Australia to consider?
If Australia does not associate to Horizon Europe, what alternative models do you suggest for international science collaboration that might deliver similar outcomes to Horizon Europe?