India-EU conclude negotiations to join Horizon Europe programme

• India and the European Union (EU) successfully completed negotiations for association with Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research and innovation programme. 

• It marks a strategic move into a long-term institutional framework of research cooperation between both sides, building on existing R&D projects and cooperation.

What is Horizon Europe?

• Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation. 

• The funding amount for Horizon Europe for the period 2021-2027 is €93.5 billion.

• It tackles climate change, helps to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and boosts the EU’s competitiveness and growth.

• The EU is home to 2.15 million researchers. 

• The programme facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting and implementing EU policies while tackling global challenges. 

• It supports creating and better dispersing of excellent knowledge and technologies.

• It creates jobs, fully engages the EU’s talent pool, boosts economic growth, promotes industrial competitiveness and optimises investment impact within a strengthened European Research Area.

• International cooperation is central to the programme, bringing together expertise and resources to advance scientific excellence and innovation.

• Association is the closest form of cooperation offered by the EU to non-EU countries under Horizon Europe.

• It allows organisations in associated countries to participate on equal terms with their EU counterparts in the parts of the programme covered by the agreement. In return, associated countries contribute financially to the programme.

• As many as 23 countries are associated with the programme. 

How will it benefit India?

• India and the EU had launched the exploratory discussions on the Horizon programme in February 2026 and formal negotiations began in July.

• EU-India scientific cooperation builds on the agreement for scientific and technological cooperation, signed in 2001 and renewed until 2030.

• Research and innovation also form an integral part of the Joint EU-India Comprehensive Strategic Agenda towards 2030, adopted at the summit talks between the two sides in New Delhi on January 27.

• For researchers, businesses and research organisations across Europe, India’s association will open up more opportunities to collaborate with Indian partners and build lasting scientific and technological links.

• Once the agreement is signed and the necessary procedures are completed on both sides, researchers and organisations in India will be able to receive funding directly from Horizon Europe and lead collaborative projects under its Pillar II: ‘Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness’.

• This is the largest part of the programme which funds collaborative, multi-national research and innovation projects tackling societal and technological issues, such as health, digital, industry, space, climate, energy, and bioeconomy.

• The move will create new opportunities for European and Indian partners to pool expertise, develop technologies and address shared challenges.

• The successful conclusion of negotiations clears the way for the signature of the association agreement, subject to the completion of the necessary procedures on both sides. 

• The two sides are likely to sign the formal agreement in January.