Australia and the European Union have signed an agreement paving the way for Australian researchers and organisations to take part in a major European research funding programme on new terms.
The treaty-level agreement, signed in Brussels on 12 November, concerns Australia’s association with Horizon Europe. From 1 January 2027, eligible Australian researchers, research organisations and industry partners will be able to apply for funding under eligible calls in the programme’s second pillar through transitional arrangements.
The signing does not complete the treaty process. Australia and the EU must continue their domestic procedures before the agreement takes legal effect. Australian parliamentary scrutiny is among the steps still to come, and formal completion of the association process is expected by mid-2027.
Australia’s Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science, Tim Ayres, signed the agreement alongside Ekaterina Zaharieva, the European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation. Negotiations on the association were concluded in June.
What changes for applicants
Horizon Europe’s second pillar supports collaborative research and innovation addressing global challenges. Under the transitional arrangements, eligible Australian organisations can apply as prospective beneficiaries and be considered for European funding for their share of a project.
Where the conditions of a call permit, Australian participants can join or lead an international consortium: a group of organisations putting forward a project together. The change gives eligible teams a route to seek funding, not an automatic award. Proposals will still have to satisfy the rules of the individual funding opportunity.
Australian organisations could already participate in many collaborative projects before the agreement, generally by arranging other funding. European funding for an Australian entity was normally unavailable, although exceptions applied. The new association is intended to make it easier for eligible Australian partners to seek support within the programme itself.
The agreement covers the second pillar rather than every part of Horizon Europe. Other opportunities have their own eligibility rules. Australian researchers have already been able to take part in some schemes outside that pillar, including certain researcher mobility activities, subject to the conditions of each call.
Research areas covered
The second pillar is organised into six broad clusters. They cover health; culture, creativity and inclusive society; civil security; digital technology, industry and space; climate, energy and mobility; and food, natural resources, agriculture and the environment.
Within those clusters, individual topics set out what proposed projects should address and the conditions for participation. Examples in the 2027 work programmes include studying how climate-related exposures affect health over time and exploring how craft can contribute to a circular economy.
Other examples include the use of digital tools and the involvement of young people in preparing communities for disasters, and combining remote observations with field data to monitor biodiversity. These are illustrations of the work programmes, not a list of projects already awarded funding. Opening dates, deadlines and restrictions depend on the individual topic.
For a prospective consortium, those details determine questions such as which organisations can participate, whether they can receive funding and what mix of countries and partners is required. An Australian organisation’s intended role and budget would need to fit the relevant call.
A longer research relationship
The agreement builds on decades of scientific cooperation between Australia and the EU. The two sides signed a treaty-level science and technology cooperation agreement in 1994 and amended it in 1999. Researchers have worked together in areas including health, energy, transport, food, natural resources and space.
The present Horizon Europe programme runs from 2021 to 2027, so the Australian transitional arrangements begin in its final year. The immediate next step is the opening of eligible applications from January, alongside the treaty procedures needed to bring the agreement into legal effect. The agreement creates an opportunity to compete for support; the research partnerships and awards that follow will depend on applications and the conditions attached to them.
