On Friday 24 September, Iceland and Norway became the first two third countries to be associated with Horizon Europe, the European research and innovation programme for the period 2021-2027 (see EUROPE 12742/14).
An association decision to this effect was formally adopted by the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Committee and Iceland and Norway will therefore be able to participate in the programme under the same conditions as EU Member State entities, the European Commission announced on Friday.
EU Commissioner for Innovation and Research Mariya Gabriel welcomed the news and stressed that both countries were “amongst the best performers” under the previous Horizon 2020 programme.
Iceland and Norway have been associated with the EU’s research and innovation framework programmes since 1994 and 1987 respectively.
These partnerships, the Commission says, have led to “multiple success stories” in scientific fields such as offshore renewable energy, Arctic weather forecasting and liquid biopsy tests for cancer diagnosis.
The European institution also states that negotiations are underway with several other non-Member States that have expressed interest in the programme. Further announcements are expected in the coming weeks. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)