The European Commission and Australia have successfully concluded negotiations on Australia’s association to Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship €93.5 billion research and innovation funding programme.

Australia will associate to Pillar II of Horizon Europe, which addresses societal challenges in the digital, industry and space; climate, energy and mobility; and food, bioeconomy and agriculture fields.   

Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research, and Innovation said: 

"We can tackle the challenges of tomorrow only together. That is why the future of science and technology depends on strong international partnerships, like the one between the EU and Australia. Together, we’ve already delivered breakthroughs such as the Square Kilometre Array, one of the world’s most advanced radio telescopes. By combining our strengths in industry, space, climate action, and the bioeconomy, we will drive the next generation of transformative innovations." 

This milestone formalises an already thriving scientific partnership. To date under Horizon Europe, Australian organisations have participated in 239 projects. Highlighting the world-class calibre and exceptional quality of its research ecosystem, nearly one in four individual applications from Australia is selected for participation in the programme - resulting in an impressive 24.39% success rate. 

From January 2027, under a transitional arrangement, Australian entities will transition from third-country rules - where they typically had to self-fund or rely on narrow exceptions for funding - to being treated as 'eligible entities' from an associated country. This will grant them direct, routine access to EU funding under Pillar II on equal terms with EU Member States, such as allowing them to lead project consortia.

At present, 22 non-EU countries are associated with Horizon Europe: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Egypt, the Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Korea, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Türkiye, Tunisia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

Negotiations for association were successfully concluded with Japan and Australia 

Exploratory talks concluded with India. 

Background

Australia stands as an important strategic partner for the European Union, with a robust bilateral relation implemented over the past three decades. The foundation of this collaboration was laid in 1994 with the signing of the Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation.

The role of Agriventures in supporting agrifood innovation

As the agritech startup ecosystem grows across Europe, initiatives such as Agriventures are helping connect entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and policymakers working in agriculture and food innovation.

Agriventures focuses on supporting agrifood startups, biotechnology innovation, and access to European funding for agriculture, while also helping entrepreneurs navigate the complex landscape of startup financing, venture capital, and research commercialization.

By strengthening connections between startups, research institutions, investors, and farmers, Agriventures contributes to building a stronger agricultural innovation ecosystem that can accelerate the transition toward sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems.

Through knowledge sharing, events, and ecosystem building, Agriventures helps ensure that promising agritech innovations can scale and reach farmers, food producers, and global markets.