Possible Association to Horizon Europe – Submission to Public Consultation

This submission to the Department of Industry, Science and Resources responds to its consultation on Australia’s possible association to Horizon Europe, the European Union’s $170 billion (€95.5 billion) research program, under Pillar II, Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness. Research Australia strongly supports association, noting that Australian R&D expenditure has fallen to 1.69% of gross domestic product (GDP) against 2.26% in the EU, that 63 Pillar II projects since 2022 have included Australian partners without access to EU funds, and that associate status would give Australia observer status on programme committees. It maintains association would deepen collaboration in areas such as rare disease research, give early and mid-career researchers (EMCRs) access to large international networks, and align with Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) priorities and the draft National Health and Medical Research Strategy. Its recommendations include an EMCR-focused seeding scheme modelled on New Zealand’s Catalyst: Seeding; alignment with the National Strategy, the Strategic Examination of Research and Development and the 2026 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap; disclosure of the membership fee and assurance it will not come from existing funding; practical guidance and a National Contact Points network, given average Pillar II success rates of 21%; equitable access for priority populations; and parallel investment in international science diplomacy through Austrade and the Indo-Pacific.