You are currently viewing Is the United Kingdom eligible for Horizon Europe?

Is the United Kingdom eligible for Horizon Europe?

No, the United Kingdom is not yet eligible for Horizon Europe, as it has not become a third country associated to Horizon Europe yet. The agreement between the EU and the UK has not been signed yet. Until association agreements start producing legal effects either through provisional application or their entry into force, the transitional arrangement set out in the General Annexes to the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2021-2022 is applicable.

In the future, legal entities from the United Kingdom should be able to participate under equivalent conditions as legal entities from the EU Member States, unless specific limitations or conditions are laid down in the work programme and/or call/topic text. The United Kingdom will participate in all parts of the Horizon Europe programme with the only exception of the EIC Fund (which is part of the EIC Accelerator of Horizon Europe that provides investment through equity or other repayable form).

The list of participating Countries in Horizon Europe is available form the European Commission website and has been published on the 17th of June 2021. It lists all other countries eligible for Horizon Europe.

In January, the government announced that the UK will associate to Horizon Europe. The EU is still in the process of formalising the UK’s association. But UK-based applicants can begin applying straight away. You do not need to wait for the EU to formalise association. Find out more in the European Commission Q&A on the UK’s participation in Horizon Europe (PDF, 712KB)

If the delay to the UK association continues, the UK government has confirmed successful Horizon Europe applicants will receive funding from UKRI regardless of the outcome of the UK’s efforts to associate with Horizon Europe. This applies to awards expected to be signed by the end of December 2022, where the delay to UK association to the programme may prevent them from signing grant agreements. We have developed a process to enable successful applicants to access their funding under the guarantee. If you have been successful you can find full details about which funding calls are included and step-by-step instructions on how to access your guaranteed funding.

More information on UKRI website.