EU Research

International opportunities

Organisations and researchers from more than 100 countries all over the world are already involved in EU research programmes.

There are opportunities to access funding for joint research projects between EU and non-EU countries. For more detail see the research funding page.

There are also opportunities to access funding to support dialogue around current and future research priorities between different stakeholders in and outside the EU. For more detail see the collaboration funding page.

While FP7 participants can in principle be based anywhere, there are different categories of country which may have varying eligibility for different specific and work programmes.

Member States - The 27 countries of the European Union.
Associated Countries – with science and technology cooperation agreements that involved contributing to the Framework Programme budget: Switzerland, Israel, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Turkey, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina and the Faroe Islands.
Candidate Countries – currently recognised as candidates for future accession.
Third Countries - organisations or individuals in countries that are not Member States, Candidate or Associated Countries. They include a sub-group known as International Cooperation Partner Countries (ICPCs), which contains many developing countries. Generally ICPC countries’ participation will be funded if mentioned in particular topics or projects, or if a good case can be made: view the list of ICPCs.

Other non ICPC third countries usually fund their participation, although exceptions may occasionally be made.

Make sure you check the criteria for the call in which you are interested, as eligibility varies.

Further information on eligibility – including eligible consortia – is on the FP7 website.