If successful, Japan would join other non-EU countries such as Canada and South Korea in association with the programme.
The European Union (EU) and Japan have entered negotiations today (29 November) for Japan to join Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme.
Specifically, the negotiations, which were announced by the European Commission, concern Japan’s potential association with Pillar II of Horizon Europe, which deals with societal challenges through multinational projects.
If successful, Japan would join non-EU countries such as New Zealand, Canada and South Korea, as Horizon Europe permits countries outside of the EU to join the programme. In September of last year, the UK rejoined the Horizon Europe programme, allowing its researchers access to the €95.5bn science research funding programme.
Iliana Ivanova, European commissioner for innovation, research, culture, education and youth, added that the negotiations for the association of Japan to Horizon Europe “marks a step change in our cooperation”.
She also said that for both the EU and Japan, research and innovation are “key to ensuring competitiveness”, in addition to achieving green transitions.
“Together, we will be able to reach them faster, and find solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges,” Ivanova said.
If successful, Japanese researchers would be able to coordinate their own research and innovation projects under the programme and collaborate with partners in the EU.
They could also receive funding for their projects under the programme.
Relationship between EU and Japan
The EU and Japan have a noteworthy history of collaborating when it comes to matters concerning science and technology, particularly over the last two years.
In January of 2023, the EU and Japan strengthened their bond in space research by agreeing to share Earth observation data with each other.
The European Commission agreed to provide Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry with access to data and services from Copernicus, the Earth observation component of the EU Space Programme. Japan, in turn, agreed to provide the European Commission with free and open access to data from its non-commercial Earth observation satellites.
Then, in April of this year, the EU and Japan sought to further improve their research relationship with the launch of an enhanced dialogue on advanced materials.
Under this agreement, the EU and Japan are working on developing new materials that are used in critical sectors of the economy, such as renewable energy, batteries, zero-emission buildings and semiconductors. It aims to create a platform for sharing information on policy developments and exploring collaborative research opportunities.
Earlier this month, the European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced the signing of an agreement which increased collaboration between the ESA and JAXA on missions to examine asteroids, the moon, Mars and more.
As part of the collaboration, the ESA and JAXA will work jointly on lunar exploration, including each agency’s contribution to NASA’s Artemis programme: the ESA’s Argonaut lunar cargo lander and JAXA’s pressurised lunar rover.
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