Korea Strengthens Research Ties with EU Through Horizon Europe Membership

Minister Yu Sang-im of the Ministry of Science and ICT met with key European Union officials in Brussels on February 12 to discuss Korea-EU cooperation in science, technology, and research & innovation. The meetings followed her participation in the France AI Action Summit, held from February 10 to 11. With Korea set to join Horizon Europe as an associate member in 2025, the discussions focused on ways to strengthen research collaboration between the two regions.

During her visit, Minister Yu met with Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commission Commissioner for Startups and Research & Innovation, and Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council (ERC). These discussions were arranged to explore avenues for deepening Korea-EU cooperation, particularly as Korea prepares to participate in Horizon Europe, the world’s largest multilateral research and innovation program, starting January 1, 2025.

In her meeting with Commissioner Zaharieva, Minister Yu emphasized that Korea’s participation in Horizon Europe marks the beginning of full-scale research and innovation collaboration with the EU. She introduced key measures to support Korean researchers, including the establishment of a dedicated organization within the National Research Foundation of Korea and financial backing for preliminary planning projects under Horizon Europe. Minister Yu also expressed hopes for closxwer and expanded research cooperation through initiatives such as the Korea-EU Research & Innovation Day and the Korea-EU Joint Science and Technology Committee, urging the EU to actively engage in expanding collaboration with Korea.

Minister Yu also met with ERC President Maria Leptin to discuss strategies for increasing Korea’s participation in ERC programs as part of its Horizon Europe associate membership. The ERC, which oversees the EU’s fundamental research funding programs, recently awarded Korea’s first-ever Synergy Grant to Koo Bon-kyung, director of the Genomic Editing Research Group at the Institute for Basic Science, in November 2023. Minister Yu highlighted that Korea’s associate membership in Horizon Europe’s Pillar 2 could pave the way for greater participation in ERC programs, further strengthening Korea-EU collaboration. She called on the EU to continue its support for Korea’s participation in these initiatives.

Minister Yu stated that Korea’s accession as an associate member of Horizon Europe marks a turning point in strengthening research collaboration with Europe, a global leader in science and technology. She expressed optimism that the discussions in Brussels would contribute to a more robust international research partnership between Korea and the EU.

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