Australia fast-tracks Horizon Europe negotiations

Australia has resolved to join the world’s largest collaborative research scheme, with prime minister Anthony Albanese announcing the start of negotiations on associating with the €95.5 billion (£82.6 billion) Horizon Europe programme.

The revelation – which coincided with the finalisation of Australia’s free trade agreement and a new security and defence partnership with the European Union – emerged six months after science minister Tim Ayres revealed that the government was launching “non-binding exploratory talks” about associating with Horizon Europe, having quietly withdrawn from discussions two years earlier.

Albanese said he expected Australian organisations to be able to bid for Horizon Europe funds from early 2027. Twenty-two other non-EU countries and territories, including Canada, New Zealand and the UK, have already finalised association agreements and negotiations with other nations are advanced.

Canberra decided to follow suit after the Group of Eight (Go8) research-intensive universities agreed to contribute half of the expected A$40 million (£20.8 million) joining fee, up to a A$20 million ceiling. “We took the view that… the cost of not being in it is greater than the cost of being in it,” said chief executive Vicki Thomson.

“We [the Go8] are best placed to…anchor those big international collaborations, and in the scale of what is accessible to us – there’s still €36 billion available in the fund – it was important to be at the table.”

She said that by joining before 2027, Australia would put itself “in the box seat” to influence the settings of Horizon Europe’s next framework, tentatively known as FP10. The European Commission plans to almost double the scheme’s budget to €175 billion when FP10 commences in 2028, but the guidelines will be closely aligned with European industrial and security priorities.

Ayres stressed “the importance of making every Aussie research dollar count” and said the “multiplier effect” of Horizon Europe made collaborating with the scheme “good value for money”.

“[It] will facilitate access to joint projects with the EU and other associated countries, while also allowing our industry, science and research sectors to lead projects in the Indo-Pacific. This is a great example of international research cooperation at a time when the world needs more constructive collaboration.”

Universities Australia hailed the “major step forward” for the sector. “If Australia wants to lift productivity and stay competitive, we need a seat at the table,” said CEO Luke Sheehy. “The benefits of Horizon Europe will flow well beyond universities. Innovation drives jobs, industries and productivity and economic growth.”

Science and Technology Australia (STA) said the benefits would depend on getting the policy settings correct. “With the right investment and settings, Horizon Europe can help unlock new industries, create jobs and ensure Australia is a leader – not a follower – in the technologies that will define our future,” said STA president Jas Chambers.

Research organisations in associated countries are usually entitled to participate in Horizon Europe projects on the same legal basis as EU countries. Australian universities can currently access the scheme’s funds but only through “third parties” such as European universities.

Sceptics say that while association with Horizon Europe provides excellent international networking opportunities, particularly for early-career researchers, it also brings an enormous amount of bewildering bureaucracy. And while the funding levels are eye-popping, the money does not necessarily go far when split among a dozen or more project partners.

But Thomson stressed the “scalability” that Horizon Europe afforded. “This does give us a seat at the table to scale research in a way that we…just can’t right now,” she said. “It gives us access to international clinical trials that we can’t access by ourselves.”

She said it was no accident that the decision to associate with Horizon Europe had coincided with new trade and defence pacts, at a time when conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East had put the world on edge.

“It’s a single strategic package,” Thomson said. “Trade enables scale, defence builds trust and research delivers capability. From the European side, the three had to be agreed.”

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com