India is the latest country to access the EU’s €93.5 billion (£78 billion) research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe, after negotiations with the European Commission concluded last week. While both parties still need to formally sign the agreement, India is set to fully associate to the programme by January 2027.
‘We want Europe and India to be partners in developing the technologies that will shape our future,’ says Ekaterina Zaharieva, the EU’s commissioner for startups, research and innovation. Discussions for India accessing Horizon’s pillar II funding – which focuses on projects that tackle issues such as health, climate and energy – started in February.
India’s association to Horizon Europe also complements the India–European Union Free Trade Agreement signed earlier this year, which eliminated various trade barriers, including tariffs on certain chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
Currently, there are 23 other non-EU countries associated with Horizon Europe. This includes Australia and Japan, which finalised their agreements within the past year. The European Commission also restored all of Hungary’s access to Horizon Europe funding in October, after the country voted out former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who faced allegations of corruption.
Source: www.chemistryworld.com
