European Partnerships

European Partnerships are initiatives supported by the Horizon Europe Programme through which the European Union, national authorities and/or the private sector jointly commit to supporting the development and implementation of a programme of research and innovation activities in response to the most complex challenges facing Europe and in line with the political priorities and related strategies adopted by the EU.

Partners may represent industry, universities, research organisations, bodies with a public service mission at local, regional, national or international level, or civil society organisations, including foundations and NGOs. By bringing together public and private partners, European Partnerships help to avoid duplication of investment and contribute to reducing fragmentation in the EU's research and innovation landscape.

The Horizon Europe Programme has established the conditions and principles for setting up three types of European Partnerships:

Co-programmed European Partnerships: involve the participation of the European Commission and private and/or public partners (on the basis of memoranda of understanding and/or contractual agreements specifying the objectives of the partnership);
Co-founded European Partnerships: provide for financial participation by the European Commission and national public funding bodies. Private funders may also be included. The co-funded research and innovation programme must specify the objectives, key deliverables, impact indicators and results to be achieved, based on the partners' commitments;
Instituzionalised European Partnerships (based on Articles 185 or 187 of the TFEU, and on the EIT Regulation for KICs) provide for financial participation by the European Commission and private partners. In some cases, national public funding bodies may also participate.

Below is a list, divided by type, of the 49 partnerships that have already been established or are expected to be launched shortly.