Vicki Thomson, Chief Executive of The Group of Eight – which comprises Australia’s leading research-intensive universities – stresses what association to Horizon Europe would mean for Australia’s research and innovation landscape

Australia is closer than ever to becoming an associate country to Horizon Europe – the world’s largest and most influential public research and innovation programme. After years of deep collaboration with European partners, we are now on the cusp of formal association. This moment matters – not just because of what association would unlock, but because of the cost of delay.

For Australia’s research system, the question is no longer whether we collaborate with Europe – we already do. The question is whether we embed that collaboration in a stable, long-term framework that allows Australian researchers, universities and industry to compete, lead, and plan with confidence. For the Group of Eight – Australia’s leading research-intensive universities – the answer is clear: this is an opportunity Australia should seize, and quickly.

Australia and Europe: A longstanding relationship

Australia’s research relationship with Europe is mature and trusted. Australian researchers are embedded in European networks across health, engineering, clean energy, digital technologies, climate science, and defence-related research.

European institutions are among Australia’s most frequent collaborators, particularly on projects that are multidisciplinary, capital intensive, and globally focused. Our researchers bring scientific excellence, applied capability and strong links to the Indo Pacific region – assets that European partners actively seek out.

What would association bring?

But collaboration alone is no longer enough. As global research programmes grow in scale and sophistication, the countries that benefit most are those formally inside the system, shaping agendas rather than adapting to them from the margins. That is why association with Horizon Europe is so important – and why timing matters.

Horizon Europe is not simply a funding source. It is a framework for long-term collaboration, innovation, and influence.

Associate country status would allow Australian researchers and institutions to:

• Lead and coordinate major collaborative projects;
• Access Horizon Europe funding directly and predictably;
• Participate fully in large-scale missions addressing shared global challenges; and
• Build long-term research and industry partnerships with confidence.

In practical terms, association removes uncertainty. It allows researchers to plan, institutions to invest, and industry to engage early rather than tentatively.

Without association, Australian participation remains possible – but constrained. Leadership roles are harder to secure, funding is fragmented, and planning horizons are shorter. Over time, these frictions matter. Research ecosystems move quickly. Funding calls, partnerships, and consortia are already being shaped around future Horizon Europe work programmes.

Every year without association is a year in which Australian researchers must rely on workarounds – parallel funding, informal arrangements, or diminished roles. Over time, this risks eroding Australia’s position as a collaborator of choice.

Other countries understand this. Many associate countries have moved decisively to secure their place within Horizon Europe because they recognise that early and full participation delivers compounding benefits. For Australia, delay does not preserve flexibility – it costs influence.

Expanding connections and opening doors

While universities are central to Horizon Europe, the benefits of association extend well beyond the academy. Horizon Europe is deliberately designed to connect research with industry, government, and end users. Participation opens doors to European supply chains, commercialisation pathways and regulatory ecosystems that increasingly shape global markets.

For Australian industry – particularly in advanced manufacturing, energy, health technologies, space, cyber and defence adjacent fields – association would enable deeper engagement with European partners at earlier stages of innovation. This matters for Australia’s broader economic resilience and sovereign capability. Many of the challenges Australia faces are shared with Europe and increasingly addressed through coordinated research and innovation programmes.

Association will strengthen Australia’s ability to attract and retain research talent. For researchers – particularly early and mid career researchers – certainty matters. Being part of Horizon Europe signals that Australia is open, connected, and serious about international collaboration at scale.

It also makes Australia a more attractive partner and destination for global talent, at a time when competition for skilled researchers is intense. Just as importantly, association sends a signal internationally: that Australia sees research and innovation as a strategic national asset, and that we are prepared to engage at the highest level.

It is important to be clear about what association does – and does not – mean. Associate country status does not require Australia to surrender control over its research system or compromise national safeguards. Participation is selective and aligned with national interest. Australia retains full control over domestic laws, ethical standards, and research security arrangements.

International collaboration and research security are not competing priorities. When frameworks are clear and transparent, they reinforce each other. Horizon Europe’s governance and safeguards are well established and understood by partner countries.

Ready for more

Australia has invested heavily in building a world-class research system. That system is one of the country’s most powerful levers for economic growth, resilience, and global engagement. Association with Horizon Europe would amplify that investment. It would allow Australia to do more with trusted partners, in programmes designed to deliver impact at scale. But opportunities like this are time bound. Consortia form. Agendas are set. Momentum builds.

Australia is well placed. We are ready. What matters now is moving from proximity to participation.

For the Group of Eight, Horizon Europe association is not a future aspiration – it is a strategic step whose value depends on timely action. That’s why the Group of Eight Board decided to support this initiative and match the Australian Government’s contribution to the Horizon Europe joining fee. This is an investment in national capability: reducing upfront costs to government, leveraging access to a global research funding pool, and maximising system-wide returns through collaboration, industry participation, and spill-over benefits across the research ecosystem.

The closer we get to the centre of global research collaboration, the stronger Australia will be.

Please note, this article will also appear in the 26th edition of our quarterly publication.