Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the conclusion of negotiations for Canada's association to Pillar II of Horizon Europe at the EU-Canada Summit on 24 November 2023. In 3th July 2024, Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, and Francois-Philippe Champagne, Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, are signing the agreement that gives Canadian researchers and organisations the opportunity to participate in the programme on equal terms with their EU counterparts.
Canada associates to the Pillar II of Horizon Europe, which funds collaborative research projects across a wide range of domains.
While awaiting the signature, a transitional arrangement had been in place for Canadian entities. This means that they were able to apply and be evaluated as prospective beneficiaries in Horizon Europe proposals for all calls implementing Pillar II already in the budget 2024 onwards.