Collaborative research – in Europe and beyond

The European Commission has earmarked roughly 25% of the Horizon Europe budget for European Partnerships. There are currently around 50 such initiatives involving research institutions and companies from EU member states and associated countries, all working together to address major societal and technological challenges.

Sharper focus, greater impact

Compared to the previous programme, Horizon 2020, which included over 120 Partnerships, the number of Partnerships under Horizon Europe has been reduced to around 50. The aim is to sharpen the focus and maximise impact. There are three main types of Partnership:

• Co-funded European Partnerships: Here, national and EU funds are pooled together to jointly support projects that address specific challenges. Examples include Partnerships on antimicrobial resistance, biodiversity and water supply. In Switzerland, the Swiss National Science Foundation, Innosuisse and several federal offices take part in such Partnerships.
• Co-programmed European Partnerships: In these Partnerships, the EU and various industrial and research partners work together to develop and implement joint programmes and strategies. The topics covered range from digital transformation to clean energy and sustainable mobility. Examples include the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and the AI, Data and Robotics (ADR) Partnership, in which ETHZ and EPFL take part.
• Institutionalised European Partnerships: These long-term, legally established Partnerships focus on specialised research areas and have their own governance structure. Examples include the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) or the Global Health-EDCTP3 as well as the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).