On 30 July 2026, an agreement of association between the EU and Japan regarding the Horizon Europe programme was signed in Brussels. Japan thus officially became the 23rd associated country in the EU’s largest programme for research and innovation, with a budget of 93.5 billion EUR for the 2021–2027 period. With a population of 123 million, Japan is the most populous associated country. According to the Annual Management and Performance Report for the financial year 2025, by the end of that year approximately 134,000 researchers had participated in Horizon Europe with 22,500 peer-reviewed scientific publications and 10,000 innovative outputs recorded.
The signing of the agreement was preceded by negotiations between the European Commission and Japan, which were successfully concluded in December 2025, and a transition period for accepting applications for calls from January 2026. Japanese researchers could join research consortia before that too, but had to secure their own funding; they can now draw funding directly from the programme budget.
Under this agreement, Japan has agreed to contribute 13.7 million EUR for the period 2026–2027, which represents just 0.1% of the programme’s budget, as cooperation is expected to get off to a slow start, with the potential to increase this amount in subsequent years. There is also an emergency brake in place in the event of significantly higher use of the contribution by Japanese researchers: if Japanese researchers win 80% more than anticipated in a given year, Japan may request a suspension.
This is complemented by an automatic correction mechanism ensuring that Tokyo ends up paying roughly what its researchers win from the programme.
The agreement covers Pillar II
The goal of the Horizon Europe programme is to strengthen cooperation and promote research. Its framework is divided into three pillars. Cooperation with Japan will take place under Pillar II – Global Challenges and the Competitiveness of European Industry, which is divided into six clusters, each with its own work programme linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 1. health; 2. culture, creativity and inclusive society; 3. civil security for society; 4. digital, industry and space; 5. climate, energy and mobility; 6. food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment. Japanese scientists, universities, research institutions, companies, and others can now participate in the programme under the same conditions as those from EU Member States. To date, Japan is listed as a participant in 181 projects, 44 of which are in collaboration with Czech entities (data as of 2 August 2026).
What it means for Czech companies
This opens up new opportunities for Czech and Japanese companies to share expertise, drive innovation, and establish business contacts, including the formation of research consortia comprising at least three partner organisations from three different countries, with at least one being an EU Member State. Japanese partners can now draw funding directly from the programme budget.
In the long term, the programme can help companies increase their competitiveness, enhance their strategy and create new high-tech jobs, whilst also spreading financial risks, minimising technical issues and sharing project results amongst all partners within the research consortia. Research consortia are therefore well-suited to businesses that have ambitious goals but for which such projects would be difficult to undertake independently.
Japan’s association with Horizon Europe precedes the new 2028–2034 budget period. The experience gained during the current budget period can thus facilitate the transition to the new Horizon Europe framework programme.
How to start and where to find calls
The first step towards a Czech-Japanese collaborative project under Horizon Europe is to check the eligibility criteria (e.g. companies established in the EU or an associated country, for further details, please refer to the documents for specific calls) and then to seek research partners to carry out the project. We are happy to assist in connecting you with suitable Japanese partners for your project. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@czechjapan.org.
Once the research consortium has been formed, the next step is to find a suitable call. A list of calls currently open to Czech companies is given in the Czech version of this article. The European Commission’s Funding & Tenders Portal allows users to search for all Horizon Europe calls for proposals. It is also used for the subsequent registration of businesses and the submission of project proposals.