Korean researchers and organisations can now participate in the €52bn Pillar II Horizon Europe programme as the country becomes an official associate.
Negotiations were completed back in September 2024, but yesterday (17 July) saw South Korea become an official associate member of Horizon Europe, allowing its researchers and research organisations to participate in several areas of the programme on equal terms with those from EU member states.
Horizon Europe is the EU’s multibillion research and innovation programme. Korean researchers can now join and lead international research consortia, access funding and collaborate with leading research institutions across Europe. The Asian country will also contribute financially to the programme’s budget.
It is all part of a drive by Europe to strengthen ties with “like-minded” third countries such as Canada and New Zealand, at a time when many of these countries feel alienated from the US, or fear the rise of their neighbours China.
In the transition arrangement that kicked in on 1 January, 2025, Korean researchers have already been able to apply for grants on an equal footing with EU researchers in Pillar II of the programme, which represents the collaborative part (€52.4bn) of Horizon Europe’s €93.5bn 2021-2027 budget, and is focused on major global industrial and societal challenges. Access to the European Research Council, which funds bottom-up science, is not part of the deal.
According to the EU, the association will lead to greater opportunities for deepening joint research across continents in fields such as digital transition, health and climate technology.
Ekaterina Zaharieva, commissioner for start-ups, research and innovation welcomed the Republic of Korea to Horizon Europe yesterday.
“The challenges we face today, from climate change to digital transformation, are global in nature,” she said. “The association brings together leading minds from Europe and Korea to drive progress and develop solutions that will benefit us all.”
Other pillars, such as Excellent Science and Innovative Europe, along with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions for doctoral education, postdoctoral training and collaborative research, are open to Korean organisations and researchers.
It brings the total number of associated members to Horizon Europe to 19, based on their membership of the European Economic Area (EEA), as acceding, candidate or potential candidate countries, as European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) countries, or as “like-minded” third countries including the UK, New Zealand and Canada.
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