NHMRC welcomes the announcement by Prime Minister Albanese and European Commission President von der Leyen that Australia will commence formal treaty negotiations on Australia’s association to Horizon Europe. This announcement marks a significant milestone in strengthening Australia’s global research engagement and reflects the Government’s commitment to advancing innovation, economic resilience, and long-term productivity through international collaboration.
The health and wellbeing of Australians is closely connected to the health of people around the world. Many of today’s challenges such as pandemic preparedness, antimicrobial resistance, climate related health impacts and emerging technologies require collaborative international research efforts and strong participation in global scientific networks. Horizon Europe provides a platform for collaboration at a scale beyond what individual countries can achieve alone.
Association to Horizon Europe has the potential to significantly enhance opportunities for Australian health and medical researchers. NHMRC already supports international collaboration through the NHMRC–Horizon Europe Grant Scheme, enabling Australian researchers to participate in selected Horizon Europe health topics that align with NHMRC’s Health Priorities. Association to Horizon Europe will strengthen this by enabling Australian researchers and organisations to not only participate in, but to lead, large scale international collaborations and access funding across all research topics.
NHMRC’s approach to international collaboration continues to be guided by its International Engagement Strategy, which prioritises shared global health challenges, researcher capability and impact, and access to international networks and resources. Association to Horizon Europe supports NHMRC’s ongoing commitment to funding high-quality research that delivers benefits for Australians while contributing to improved health outcomes globally.
By strengthening international collaboration through mechanisms such as Horizon Europe, NHMRC continues to advance its mission to build a healthy Australia and contribute to a healthier world.