Egypt and the European Union have successfully completed negotiations for Egypt’s association with Horizon Europe, the EU’s leading research and innovation funding programme.
The agreement was initialed in Brussels in the presence of EU Commissioner for Start-ups, Research, and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva and Egypt’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Mohamed Ayman Ashour.
Association with Horizon Europe is the highest level of international collaboration offered to non-EU countries in the fields of research and innovation. It will grant Egyptian researchers access to top European research facilities and networks. With a budget of €95.5 billion for the 2021–2027 period, Horizon Europe is the EU’s largest and most open research and innovation programme, encouraging partnerships between businesses, civil society, research centers, and universities.
The agreement is expected to be formally signed by November 2025, pending final approval from both sides. In the meantime, transitional measures will allow Egyptian organizations to participate in Horizon Europe projects as eligible entities for calls using the 2025 budget and beyond.
EU Ambassador to Egypt Angelina Eichhorst welcomed the development, calling it a significant step forward in the long-standing EU-Egypt partnership. She highlighted that this year marks the 20th anniversary of their research and innovation cooperation agreement, first signed in 2005.
“Egypt’s association to Horizon Europe underscores our shared commitment to advancing research and innovation together,” Eichhorst said. She praised Egypt’s pool of talented researchers and innovators and stressed that the partnership would open new opportunities for collaboration on key global challenges such as energy, climate change, water management, food security, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and migration.
Eichhorst added that deepening cooperation through Horizon Europe is expected to help drive economic growth and create new jobs in both regions.