Innovate UK welcomes Horizon Europe association as a boost for UK research and innovation

Horizon Europe is the current EU €95 billion research and innovation Framework Programme for 2021 to 2027. Like its predecessors, the current Framework Programme funds scientific excellence, research and development in key sectors and technologies, supporting international collaborations to address global challenges in areas such as net zero, energy, health, agriculture, digital technologies, space and transport.

The announcement of UK decision to associate to Horizon Europe is a significant moment for the UK research and innovation community and for Innovate UK. This deal provides our businesses and scientists with a stable basis for international collaboration and makes sure we are on track to deliver on the ambition to make the UK a science and technology superpower by 2030.

Horizon Association will not only open up scientific and innovation cooperation with the EU, but also Norway, New Zealand and Israel who are part of the programme – and countries like Korea and Canada are looking to join too. The UK will be able to bid, secure EU funding for, and crucially lead, the vast majority of new calls that will be opening throughout the autumn. All calls in Work Programme 2024 will be covered by association and the UK guarantee scheme will be extended to cover all calls under Work Programme 2023.  The UK will also associate to the Copernicus programme meaning access to unique Earth observation data, providing early warning of floods and fires, and allowing the UK’s world leading sector to bid for contracts worth hundreds of millions.

The team of National Contact Points (NCPs) for Horizon Europe at Innovate UK and UKRI plays a key role in supporting UK organisations to engage with their European counterparts, join and lead collaborations, and enjoy access to European expertise and supply chains to help develop and commercialise their research. We are ready to support UK organisations to access and re-engage with the Horizon Europe programme and to help with networking and brokerage opportunities in the UK and Europe.

The agreement will enable the UK to participate fully in the Horizon Europe programme for research and innovation. This is great news, and we are ready to maximise the innovation opportunity for our business and research organisations and support them to collaborate with and access European partnerships, supply chains and markets. I’d like to thank the many colleagues and partners who’ve worked hard to support our communities leading up to this significant agreement being reached.

– Indro Mukerjee, CEO, Innovate UK

For contact details of UK National Contact Points for Horizon Europe, please see https://www.gov.uk/business-finance-support/horizon-europe-funding#find-your-uk-national-contact-point-for-advice

For updates on briefing events and networking support, please see Pillar 2 NCP support and Pillar 3 support.