Long shot

Far-flung interest in Horizon Europe must not replace local ties

The EU’s ambition to take Horizon Europe global took a significant step forward last week, with the news that formal talks over joining the R&D programme are to start with Canada and New Zealand.

The move, which comes after exploratory discussions with the two countries, would—if successful—make the two nations the furthest afield ever to have associated to an EU R&D programme. But while distance will grab headlines, the greater significance is that it moves the EU closer to one of its central ambitions for Horizon Europe: to unite researchers from countries that share European values to tackle society’s biggest challenges, regardless of where those researchers happen to live.