European Co-funded Partnerships (Various Calls)

European Co-funded Partnerships (Various Calls) is sponsored by Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and European Commission (via Horizon Europe). NWO participates in European Co-funded Partnerships under Horizon Europe, focusing on complex societal challenges.

European Partnerships in Horizon Europe European Partnerships in Horizon Europe Types of partnerships, how partnerships are being identified, candidates for partnerships, contact details, impact assessments. What are European Partnerships?

Since their inception in 2002, European Partnerships have become one of the key instruments of the European Research and Innovation Framework Programme, Horizon Europe, and of the European Research Area (ERA). They are strategic instruments, which enable long-term collaboration between the EU's various partners.

European Partnerships bring the European Commission and private and/or public partners together to address some of Europe’s most pressing challenges through concerted research and innovation initiatives. This strategic alignment and pooling of resources makes them a key implementation tool of Horizon Europe, and contribute significantly to achieving the EU’s political priorities, such as the green and digital transitions.

By bringing private and public partners together, European Partnerships help to avoid duplication of investments and reduce the fragmentation of the research and innovation landscape in the EU. Types of European Partnerships Under Horizon Europe, there are 3 different implementation modes for European Partnerships.

Institutionalised European Partnerships Joint Undertakings (JUs) based on Article 187 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU): long-term collaborations with private (sometimes also public) partners requiring a high degree of integration Article 185 initiatives, based on Article 185 TFEU: long-term collaborations with public partners requiring a high degree of integration Both Article 185 and 187 partnerships require the adoption of specific legislation and are implemented by dedicated structures created for that purpose.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s Knowledge and Innovation Communities (EIT KICs): Europe-wide innovation ecosystems that integrate education, research and entrepreneurship. They are established in compliance with the EIT regulation and the EIT’s Strategic Innovation Agenda . Co-funded partnerships fund joint programmes of research and innovation activities between research and innovation funders.

They are implemented through Horizon Europe Grant Agreements signed by the Commission and a consortium of partners, generally composed of research and innovation funders and other public authorities. Partners generally implement joint transnational calls as well as additional activities, with either 30% or 50% co-funding from Horizon Europe.

Co-programmed partnerships Co-programmed partnerships are based on joint programming of research and innovation activities and mobilisation of additional activities by partners in line with the objectives of the partnership. They are based on a Memorandum of Understanding, which the Commission signs with industry associations.

The EU contribution is implemented through Horizon Europe work programme calls, while matching contributions from partners are implemented under their responsibility. The European Partnership portfolio In line with the better regulation agenda, the Commission carried out a dedicated impact assessment for institutionalised partnerships .

In April 2024, the Council and the Parliament reached an agreement on the continuation of the EU’s participation in the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) under Horizon Europe for the period 2025-2027.

The selected partnerships are divided across 6 areas: Climate, energy and mobility Single European Sky ATM Research 3 Connected and Automated Mobility Zero-emission Waterborne Transport Zero-emission Road Transport Driving Urban Transitions Culture, creativity and inclusive society Resilient Cultural Heritage Social Transformations and Resilience Partnership Digital, industry and space Smart Networks & Services High Performance Computing European Metrology (Art.

185) Clean Steel – Low-carbon Steelmaking Global Competitive Space Systems Innovative Advanced Materials for EU Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment Circular Bio-based Europe Climate Neutral, Sustainable & Productive Blue Economy Accelerating Farming Systems Transitions Safe and Sustainable Food System European Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) Forests and Forestry for Sustainable Future Innovative Health Initiative Global Health Partnership Transformation of Health Systems One-Health Antimicrobial Resistance Chemicals Risk Assessment Partnerships across themes Pillar III – innovative Europe European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE) EIT (European Institute of Innovation and Technology) Cultural and Creative Industries Water, Marine and Maritime Sectors and Ecosystem European Open Science Cloud The European Partnership portfolio More information on the current partnership portfolio Strategic coordinating process As part of the strategic approach to European Partnerships, a new governance framework - the strategic coordinating process - has been established under Horizon Europe.

The goal of this process is to support evidence-based policy for European Partnerships and a strategic vision of their landscape and performance. It provides a consolidated view on the progress made by partnerships. By working together with EU countries and countries associated to Horizon Europe, it aims to increase the visibility and impact of participation in European Partnerships at national level.

Concretely, the strategic coordinating process aims to: support community building and mutual learning across partnerships raise visibility and strengthen stakeholder communication and consultation provide policy makers and partnerships with a better evidence base prepare strategic discussions on key policy issues ensure a feedback loop from national representatives and partnerships on the portfolio evolution, implementation, monitoring and evaluation The strategic coordinating process consists of a number of well-coordinated elements: At the core is the Partnership Knowledge Hub (PKH) that allows working-level interactions and meetings between the Commission, EU Member States, Associated Countries of Horizon Europe, as well as European Partnership representatives.

The Partnership Stakeholder Forum , an annual event bringing together the whole community, provides a venue for networking, broadening engagement, sharing of experiences and discussing policy and practical dimensions related to partnerships. The first iteration of the forum took place in 2022.

Biennial Monitoring Report The Biennial Monitoring Report (BMR) on the performance of European Partnerships provides a regular assessment of partnerships, conducted every 2 years.

It focuses on: Establishing a strong evidence base to support strategic discussions on partnership policies, ensuring their effective and efficient implementation across their entire lifecycle Enhancing transparency and raising awareness of the partnership portfolio and its overall impact Contributing to Horizon Europe's monitoring and evaluation efforts A series of 4 BMRs will be published in 2022, 2024, 2026 and 2028.

At the core of the BMR is a common indicator framework for all partnerships developed by an independent expert group, which allows for a consistent and more comparative overview of their performance. Each BMR explores a select number of cross-cutting themes, which vary from one report to the next, offering fresh insights and analysis on key topics.

The first edition of the BMR was published in 2022, focusing on synergies and partnerships’ expected contribution to the green and digital transitions and resilience. The second BMR was published in September 2024 following a dedicated launch event on 19 September. The 2024 edition of the BMR explores technological sovereignty and international positioning of European research and innovation.

A dedicated Commission expert group supporting the strategic coordinating process , active from 2021-2024, developed the common indicator framework for all partnerships, which allows for a consistent and more comparative overview of their performance.

In addition to the first 2 editions of the BMR, the group has published reports on the development and illustration of a methodology for assessing the relevance of European Partnerships as instruments to address current and future European policy priorities (2023) and a report on recommendations regarding monitoring and development of the European Partnership landscape (2024).

Under Horizon Europe partnerships are expected to establish formal and regular collaboration with other relevant research and innovation initiatives. This must be reflected in their governance models and joint actions.

The Prague Declaration on Synergies in the Research and Innovation Funding in Europe invited the main actors implementing or fostering the implementation of synergies (the European Commission, Member States and Associated Countries, European Partnerships and EU Missions) to take action, and the topic was widely discussed during the 2022 Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Since 2022, the European Commission has organised a series of directional matchmaking events for European Partnerships and EU Missions to explore potential for synergies on certain Horizon Europe Clusters/topics (e.g. environment, health, ICT, climate). In the context of these workshops, a toolbox of collaboration mechanisms has been presented and further developed.

Report on coherence and synergies among partnerships Preliminary overview of possible synergies between partnerships launched under the first half of Horizon Europe Draft Commission Notice on Synergies between Horizon Europe and ERDF programmes Toolbox of collaboration mechanisms ERA-LEARN is a support platform for the European Partnership community that was created in 2009, funded as a support action (CSA) by Horizon Europe.

ERA-LEARN reaches out to all stakeholders including policy level, network managers, and researchers. ERA-LEARN operates a unique database of partnership initiatives, calls and funded projects.

The ERA-LEARN portal provides guidance and practical information on partnerships together with manuals, tools, reports and good practice examples on governance models and legal issues, the implementation of joint calls, and additional activities carried out by partnerships.

Performance of European Partnerships: Biennial Monitoring Report 2024 on partnerships in Horizon Europe This report on the Performance of European Partnerships, also known as the Biennial Monitoring Report (BMR), aims to provide a strong evidence base to guide the implementation of partnerships and inform strategic discussions on the effectiveness of the new policy approach to European Partnerships in Horizon Europe and, where relevant, how it should evolve.

Assessing European Partnerships against European policy priorities General publications 12 April 2021 European partnerships - Frequently asked questions Presentation 14 October 2020 Horizon Europe’s next generation European partnerships Horizon Europe’s next generation European partnerships Commission launches “BE READY” European Partnership to strengthen pandemic preparedness research ecosystem Research and innovation news alert: Today, the European Commission launched BE READY, a new European Partnership for pandemic preparedness.

CBE JU call closes with 248 project proposals submitted The CBE JU programme office has received 248 project proposals by the 18 September deadline for the 2025 call.

Biennial Monitoring Report (BMR) 2024 on Partnerships in Horizon Europe launch Thursday 19 September 2024, 15:00 - 17:30 (CEST) First Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership Symposium Tuesday 13 February 2024, 12:00 - Wednesday 14 February 2024, 13:00 (CET) Workshop on the Future of Metrology Thursday 23 November 2023, 10:00 - 17:00 (CET)