Egypt has officially joined the EU’s Horizon Europe, becoming the second African country associated to the EU’s multibillion-euro research and innovation (R&I) programme.
The announcement was made at an EU-Egypt Summit attended by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
With a budget of €93.5 billion for 2021-27, Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation. It tackles climate change, supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and boosts the EU’s competitiveness and growth.
Following the agreement, Egyptian researchers, universities, innovators and entities are granted access to all parts of the programme on similar terms to those of EU Member States. It enables them to lead projects, contribute to cutting-edge research, and support national research reforms and institutional capacity-building.
The agreement was signed today at the EU–Egypt Summit in Brussels by EU Commissioner for Startups, Research, and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva, and the Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Prof. Dr. Mohamed Ayman Ashour, in the presence of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. This milestone builds on a long-standing EU-Egypt cooperative relationship, providing a platform for strengthened partnership in tackling global challenges, from digital transformation to climate action. It also strengthens regional research and innovation collaboration.
The agreement extends Egypt’s participation in the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) to enhance water management, farming systems and food value chains.
21 countries are now associated to Horizon Europe, either based on their membership of the European Economic Area (EEA); as acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates; as European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) countries; or as other third countries and territories that fulfil a set of criteria related to their economic, political and research and innovation systems.
International cooperation with Egypt in research and innovation
