The EU and Japan reached a milestone in cooperation Friday as formal negotiations were launched for Japan to join Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme.
The EU’s research Commissioner Iliana Ivanova welcomed the opening of talks as a step change in cooperation: “For both EU and Japan, research and innovation are key to ensuring competitiveness and achieving the green and digital transitions. Together, we will be able to reach them faster, and find solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.”
If successful, this would be the first time Japan takes part in the closest form of cooperation in the field of research and innovation that the EU can offer.
With Horizon Europe, the EU has extended the association opportunity to like-minded non-EU countries which have a strong science, innovation and technology profile, but are not necessarily located in the geographic proximity of the EU. This includes Canada, New Zealand and South Korea, which have successfully negotiated their association to the programme.
The negotiations concern association to Pillar II of Horizon Europe, which tackles societal challenges through multinational collaborative projects. If successful, Japanese researchers would be able to lead and coordinate their own research and innovation projects under the programme, seek deeper collaboration with partners in the EU as well as from the other associated countries, and get funded. Negotiations between the Commission and the Japanese government will proceed in the next months.
With the recent association of Canada in July, Horizon Europe now includes 19 associated countries, more than any previous EU research and innovation programme. The association of the Republic of Korea is expected to be signed in the coming months to allow its participation from 2025, and negotiations with Egypt and Switzerland are ongoing.
