Horizon Europe Funding for Indian Researchers, Startups and Businesses: India–EU Talks Conclude
The European Commission and India have concluded negotiations on India's association to Horizon Europe, the EU's €93.5 billion research and innovation programme. Once the agreement is signed and procedures are completed, Indian researchers and organisations could receive direct funding and lead projects under Pillar II, covering areas including digital, health, space and climate. Association is envisaged for January 2027.
India and the European Union have concluded negotiations on India’s association to Horizon Europe, the EU’s €93.5 billion research and innovation programme, the European Commission announced on 6 November.
The agreement would allow Indian researchers and organisations to receive funding directly and lead collaborative projects under the programme’s Pillar II, covering areas including digital technologies, health, industry, space, climate and energy.
The agreement has not yet been signed.
Association is envisaged for January 2027, subject to signature and completion of the necessary procedures on both sides.
What Indian researchers would gain
Pillar II, formally titled “Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness”, is the largest part of Horizon Europe.
It supports multinational research and innovation projects addressing societal and technological challenges.
According to the Commission, association is the closest form of cooperation the EU offers non-EU countries under the programme.
Organisations in associated countries participate on equal terms with EU counterparts in the areas covered by their agreements.
Associated countries contribute financially to the programme in return.
The proposed arrangement would therefore go beyond participation in joint research: eligible Indian organisations would be able to receive programme funding directly and coordinate collaborative projects under Pillar II.
AI, semiconductors and digital cooperation
The development builds on wider EU–India technology cooperation.
The Commission highlighted work through the EU–India Trade and Technology Council on artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, semiconductors, high-performance computing, digital skills and 6G wireless telecommunications.
Research and innovation also form part of the Joint EU–India Comprehensive Strategic Agenda towards 2030, adopted at the EU–India Summit on 27 January 2026.
The two sides’ scientific cooperation rests on an agreement signed in 2001 and renewed until 2030.
Signature remains the next step
Exploratory discussions on Horizon Europe association began on 6 February 2026, followed by formal negotiations on 17 July, the Commission said.
Announcing their conclusion, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva said the agreement would create opportunities for businesses and help European and Indian researchers develop future technologies together.
Horizon Europe runs from 2021 to 2027.
Twenty-three non-EU countries are currently associated with it, including Canada, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
India’s participation under the proposed association remains dependent on the agreement being signed and the required procedures being completed.