Horizon Europe encourages and stimulates cooperation with non-EU countries and this is also one of the key instruments to implement Europe’s strategy for international cooperation: the global approach to research and innovation.

Most Horizon Europe calls are open to participants from non-EU countries, also called Third Countries. However in some calls participation from non-EU countries can be limited in order to safeguard the EU’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy or security. Limitations or conditions may also be applicable to the participation of legal entities established in an eligible country but which are controlled directly or indirectly by an ineligible country [Horizon Europe regulation article 22(5)].

If you are involving a partner from a non-EU country in your consortium , check the status of this country in Horizon Europe at the moment of submission. You can consult the Country Eligibility Tool on the NCP Flanders website, and also verify the status of the country in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

In some call topics, participation from non-EU Countries is also explicitly required or excluded. So always read the call text carefully.

In this infosheet you will find an overview of all the types of countries for Horizon Europe participation and its eligibility.

Member States

Legal entities in Member States can participate and receive funding in all parts of Horizon Europe. However in some call topics, limitations or conditions may also be attached to those entities which are controlled directly or indirectly by entities from ineligible countries (Third Country) [Article 22.5 of the Horizon Europe Regulation].

In general, legal entities in Member States can coordinate projects in all calls with the exception of calls under the widening and spreading excellence part of Horizon Europe. In these calls only the so called widening countries and outermost regions of Member States can coordinate projects.

Member States’ Overseas Territories

Overseas territories are linked to one of the European Member States and are therefore eligible to receive funding from Horizon Europe. Participants from overseas territories can participate in all parts of Horizon Europe on the same terms as entities from the EU Member States.

Horizon Europe Associated Countries

Association to Horizon Europe is the closest form of international cooperation in Horizon Europe. Entities of Associated Countries can participate in the Horizon Europe calls under the same conditions as entities from the EU Member States and are therefore eligible for funding, unless specific limitations or conditions are laid down in the work programme and/or call topic.

Not only EU neighbouring countries can apply for association, any country in the world with a strong research and innovation capacity that share common values with Europe can apply for association to Horizon Europe.

There are 4 categories of countries eligible for association with Horizon Europe:

• (a) European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members which are members of the European Economic Area (EEA)
• (b) Acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates
• (c) European neighbourhood policy countries
• (d) Non-EU countries  and territories that fulfil a set of criteria related to their economic, political and research and innovation systems

Close to the start of the Association, transitional measures can be set in place, through which entities of these countries have to be included as beneficiaries in call topics. Details are mentioned in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Third Countries automatically eligible for funding

Most Horizon Europe calls are open to participants from non-EU countries, also called Third Countries. Funding is only automatically available if they are associated or if they appear in the list of Low and Middle Income Countries as listed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Specific third countries can also be excluded from participation to the programme or to a part of the programme  and/or to specific call topics mainly in order to safeguard the EU’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy or security. 

Third Countries

Most Horizon Europe calls are open to participants from non-EU countries, also called Third Countries. If they are not automatically eligible for funding, they can still get funding in certain circumstances.

Specific third countries can also be excluded from participation to the programme or to a part of the programme  and/or to specific call topics mainly in order to safeguard the EU’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy or security. This will always be explicitly mentioned in the call text.

If a third country is allowed to participate but is not eligible for funding, then the organisations can still participate with own funding, and be included in the project as Associated partners.

A third country can participate as an associated partner with own funding. Associated partners have the following characteristics:

• do not sign the grant agreement, thus cannot be a coordinator;
• must be registered in the participant register but will not be validated;
• need to be mentioned in the researchers table (organisation data) of part A in the application form;
• they have to indicate person-months of their researchers;
• can be a subcontractor but cannot be a way to circumvent the general rules for participation
• the L&F helpdesk of the European Commission has indicated that associated partners can act as work package leader in a Horizon Europe project;
• in the proposal the budget for the associated partners has to be filled out in the column “Financial contribution”. This budget will not be taken into account into the indicative budget of the proposal.

Third countries can get exceptionally funding if:

1. they are identified in the call topic and/or work programme as being eligible for funding;
2. they are deemed essential for implementing the action in your proposal, for example in view of their:
   • outstanding competence/expertise
   • access to particular research infrastructures
   • access to particular geographical environments
   • access to particular data

Be aware that some third countries have created co-funding mechanisms which provide funding for the participants from their country in a successful submitted Horizon Europe proposal. In this document you will find an overview of complementary funding of  some third countries. Entities of these countries participate as Associated Partners with own funding.