The chief lobbyist for universities Down Under has embarked on a ¡°fact gathering¡± mission in Brussels, in the hope of shoehorning Horizon Europe into Australia¡¯s resuscitated trade talks with the European Union.

Universities Australia (UA)?chief executive Luke Sheehy¡¯s 6 June meeting with the European Commission coincided with trade minister Don Farrell¡¯s visit to Paris to revive talks on a free trade agreement with the EU, after negotiations collapsed in 2023.

¡°I strongly encourage him to make Australia¡¯s involvement in Horizon Europe a feature of those conversations,¡± Sheehy said. ¡°Europe recognises that innovation unlocks productivity growth and social and technological progress, and Horizon Europe is the vehicle for realising these gains.

¡°If we¡¯re serious about building a prosperous and productive economy, we need a seat at the table, particularly in a changing and more complex global environment.¡±

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The €95.5 billion (?80.6 billion) Horizon Europe scheme is considered the world¡¯s biggest research funding programme, bankrolling collaborative projects of a scale most countries could never afford by themselves.

New Zealand and Canada are among almost 20 non-EU countries and territories that have completed association agreements with Horizon Europe, while Japan, Singapore and South Korea are at various stages of negotiations.

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Australian research figures were mortified when the Labor government quietly canned talks to join the scheme in 2023. UA believes the estimated A$150 million (?72 million) joining costs would elicit returns worth two to three times as much.

Australian representative groups began pressing the government to reconsider Horizon Europe after the US suspended some joint research projects earlier this year. Since then, the Trump administration¡¯s confrontation with the American research sector has escalated, most dramatically in the showdown with Harvard University and massive funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health and?.

¡°Growing geopolitical uncertainties are threatening to reshape our existing research alliances and we must adapt to remain ahead of the game,¡± Sheehy said. ¡°There is a strong appetite in Europe to have Australia come on board,¡± Mr Sheehy said.

¡°This would remove the biggest roadblock for Australian researchers and scientists working with their European and other counterparts around the world. For¡­a relatively modest investment, our best and brightest would gain access to billions of dollars in potential funding to take their work to the next level.¡±

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Group of Eight chief executive Vicki Thomson, who is also deputy chair of the European Australian Business Council, said closer collaboration with the EU would help Australia realise its ambitions in advanced manufacturing, critical minerals and energy transition. ¡°Europe is an obvious partner for the industrial, technological and innovative capabilities it brings to the table.¡±

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com