CAIRO, April 10 (MENA) - Egypt and the European Union have successfully concluded negotiations on Cairo's association with Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research and innovation funding program.

The agreement was initialed in Brussels in the presence of Commissioner for Start-ups, Research, and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva and Egypt’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Mohamed Ayman Ashour, the Delegation of the European Union to Egypt said in a statement Thursday.

The Association to Horizon Europe is the closest form of international cooperation in research and innovation with non-EU countries and would allow Egyptian researchers to access world-class research facilities in Europe Horizon Europe is the largest EU's research and innovation program ever, with a budget of €95.5 billion for the period 2021-27. Horizon Europe is by far the most open research and innovation program globally. The program allows active collaboration between businesses, civil society, and research and academic institutions.

The agreement is expected to be signed by November 2025, pending final validations from both parties. However, transitional arrangements will apply from 10 April 2025. This will allow Egyptian entities to apply for and be treated as "eligible entities" established in an associated country in Horizon Europe for calls implementing a budget from 2025 and onwards.

"I warmly welcome Egypt’s association with Horizon Europe, the European Union's framework program for research and innovation. This represents a significant milestone in our long-standing cooperation and current strategic partnership. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the EU and Egypt's research and innovation cooperation agreement, which was signed in 2005. Egypt's association with Horizon Europe underlines our shared commitment to enhanced collaboration in research and innovation," EU ambassador to Egypt Angelina Eichhorst said.

"Egypt has a wealth of talented researchers and innovators. For many years, Egyptian and European researchers have collaborated through the EU Research and Innovation framework programs; we can do more. With Egypt's association with Horizon Europe, we open the door to further collaboration in addressing common concerns such as energy, climate change, water management, food security, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, migration, and others. This stronger link will help to stimulate economic growth and create jobs. We look forward to continued engagement through Horizon Europe," she added. (MENA)

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