Participation in Horizon Europe

Who can participate?

Legal entities from an EU member state, an associated state or a third country (states that are neither members nor contractual partners of the EU). In collaborative research projects, a consortium comprises at least three independent institutions from three different EU Member States or associated countries. New to Horizon Europe is the fact that at least one member must come from an EU Member State.

List of all associated states (as of February 2023)

• Albania
• Armenia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Faroe Islands
• Georgia
• Iceland
• Israel
• Kosovo
• Moldova
• Montenegro
• Northern Macedonia
• New Zealand (associated with Pillar II, since the 2023 work programme, including the European institutional partnerships)
• Norway
• Serbia
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• United Kingdom (associated to the entire programme, with the exception of the EIC (Pillar III))
• Ukraine

Until association agreements start producing legal effects either through provisional application or their entry into force, transitional arrangements may apply if provided for in the particular Horizon Europe Work Programme. The transitional arrangements apply with regard to the following countries and legal entities established in these countries, with which association negotiations are being processed or where association is imminent:

Canada: Association for Pillar II (Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness and European Institutional Partnerships)
Marocco: Applicable for the entire Programme.

Legal entities established in Switzerland are currently not covered by the transitional arrangement. Liechtenstein does not intend to associate to Horizon Europe.

Are there specific conditions when it comes to the participation of third countries?

Partners from third countries can participate in a Horizon Europe project together with institutions from EU Member States and associated states. In some cases, the tenders even explicitly provide for the involvement of non-European partners. The framework programme is therefore open to scientists and innovators worldwide.

Horizon Europe distinguishes between low to middle income countries and other countries. Participants from the following low- to middle-income countries are automatically eligible (as of January 2023):

• Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan
• Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi
• Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Comoros, Congo (Democratic Republic), Congo (Republic), Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba
• Dominica, Dominican Republic
• Ecuador, Egypt (Arab Republic), El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia
• Fiji
• Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana
• Haiti, Honduras
• Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic), Iraq
• Jamaica, Jordan
• Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea (Democratic People's Republic), Kyrgyz Republic
• Lao (People’s Democratic Republic), Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya
• Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia (Federated States), Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar
• Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria
• Pakistan, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines
• Rwanda
• Samoa, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Syrian Arab Republic
• Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu
• Uganda, Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic), Vietnam
• Yemen Republic
• Zambia, Zimbabwe

All other third countries are generally ineligible unless explicitly mentioned in the work programme or the authorising authority considers that participation as a beneficiary is essential for the implementation of the project, e.g. in terms of outstanding competence/expertise, access to specific research infrastructures, access to a specific geographic environment or access to specific data.

Can funding also be received as an individual applicant?

Individual applicants may be funded for the following measures or programmes:

• European Research Council (ERC Grants) calls for tenders for pioneer research projects
• Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) from the ERC budget
• Individual Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions with regards to research mobility and career development
• EIC Transition, EIC Accelerator, EIC Prizes

Contact at BayFOR

If at least one partner is part of the consortium from Bavaria, BayFOR’s help is free of charge!