Canada joins Horizon Europe as an associated country

Canada joins the growing group of non-EU countries associated with the EU's research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe, and will participate in major projects to address global challenges. On 3 July, the European Commission and Canada signed the Association Agreement for the country's participation in the EU's research and innovation framework programme Horizon Europe (2021-2027).

The signature means that Canadian researchers and institutions can now participate in the Horizon Europe Pillar II programme on the same terms as their counterparts from EU Member States. With a budget of €52.4 billion, Pillar II is the largest collaborative part of the programme, focusing on shared global challenges such as climate, energy, the digital economy and health.

The EU and Canada have a long tradition of partnership in research and innovation

The first Canadian institution participated in a European research project in 1987, and the first EU-Canada Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement was signed in 1996. From 1987 to the present, 286 Canadian organisations have participated in 919 EU projects with their own funding.
The partnership between Germany and Canada in science, research and technology dates back to 1971.

Bavaria and Quebec: 35 years of success

The Free State of Bavaria and the Canadian province of Quebec have been working closely together at the political level since 1989, and since 2006 also in the fields of science, research and technology. One reason for this is the technological strengths of both regions: both Bavaria and Quebec are leaders in fields such as new materials, aerospace, biotechnology, neuroscience and information technology. Another is the scientific excellence of both regions, which both have world-class research institutions, universities and companies focused on cutting-edge research. This partnership supports around 16 bilateral projects each year.

The Bavaria-Quebec/Alberta/International Scientific Coordination Office (WKS) of the Bavarian Research Alliance

The Bavaria-Quebec/Alberta/International Scientific Coordination Office (WKS) at BayFOR is responsible for maintaining bilateral cooperation in the fields of science and technology with Quebec and Alberta in Canada, as well as for cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). It is the point of contact for scientists from Bavaria who wish to carry out a research and innovation project with these Canadian players.

From the search for suitable cooperation teams in Canada to targeted networking activities to build research consortia and support applications in cooperation with the scientific departments of BayFOR, it offers a range of individually tailored and needs-oriented services and can draw on a broad network in Quebec and Canada as a whole.

Support for the WKS in Horizon Europe collaborative research projects

Between September and December 2024, the WKS Bayern-Québec/Alberta/International will offer a series of short online events entitled "Research Café" to support joint research projects between Bavaria and Canada in Horizon Europe.

On 9 December 2024, we will host our traditional Info Day "Research and Innovation in Canada" in Munich. This year's event will focus on Canada as an associated country in Horizon Europe.
More information will be available here soon.

Infographic Bavaria-Quebec/Alberta/International Scientific Coordination Office (WKS)