EU and India launch talks on partnering with Horizon Europe

The EU and India are launching exploratory talks on the South Asian country joining the Union's Horizon Europe research programme, the two sides announced at the EU-India summit taking place in New Delhi on 27/01/2026.

The two also announced the setting up of an EU-India Startup Partnership.

The start of talks was announced on the same day that the EU and India signed a Free Trade Agreement that will cut €4 billion in tariffs on the two sides' trade in goods and services.

Horizon Europe has a total budget of €93.5 billion for 2021-2027 and the European Commission has proposed increasing funding to €175bn for 2028-2034 under the next Multiannual Financial Framework.

Twenty-three non-EU countries are Horizon Europe partners, with the newest additions being Switzerland and the UK, which recently rejoined the programme. Three countries are not yet full partners (Egypt, Japan and Morocco), but they will be able to submit applications to take part under special transitional arrangements.

In February 2025, during a trip to India, Ekaterina Zaharieva, EU Commissioner for Start-ups…