12/09/2025 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 10 September, the European Commission and the Australian government launched non-binding exploratory discussions with a view to Australia’s possible association with the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. These technical discussions will examine the details and principles of a possible association agreement and lay the foundations for potential negotiations. Priorities for bilateral research collaboration are set and cooperation is monitored under this Agreement at meetings of the Australia-EU Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee. The last meeting was held in Brussels in April 2024. Australia was the first industrialised country with which the EU signed a scientific and technological cooperation agreement, in 1994. To date, 20 non-EU countries are associated with Horizon Europe. For more information: https://aeur.eu/f/ieq (AD)