A cancer researcher in Osaka can now lead a European consortium and draw on EU funding just like a colleague in Vienna. As of August, Japan is formally part of Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research programme. It is by far the largest of the programme’s 23 associated countries, bringing 123 million people into Europe’s scientific network.
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With a budget of €93.5 billion for the 2021–2027 period, Horizon Europe is EU’s flagship research and innovation programme. It supports cutting-edge research and innovation to address global challenges, accelerate the clean and digital transitions, contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and growth.
Japan [is] joining the other 22 countries already associated - either through the European Economic Area membership, the enlargement process, the European Neighbourhood Policy, or as other third countries and territories that meet the programme’s eligibility criteria.
Japan’s association builds on a long-standing and increasingly strategic research and innovation partnership with the EU initiated in 2011 with the Science and Technology cooperation agreement. A recent example of the close collaboration between the EU and Japan is the recommendation made by an EU-Japan expert panel which was done under the enhanced dialogue on advanced materials. This recommendation explores complementarities and synergies in the areas of electronics, mobility, construction, energy and data-driven science which can be both beneficial for EU and Japan citizens.
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The west used to be Europe + US & Canada, in the near future it might be Europe, Canada & Japan (& South-Korea? & Taiwan), at which point the west would not be a good name anymore. Just thinking.
Yes, we are going through a strange timeline … In this year’s Copenhagen Democracy Summit in Warsaw, former Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen proposed what he called the “D7”, the “Democracy 7”, comprising Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the United Kingdom (four of these countries are already members of the Community of Democracies).
Rasmussen pointed out that the D7 represents roughly US$36 trillion in combined GDP, approximately 30% of the global total, enough economic leverage to deter coercion by any country.
He said that the D7 must not be a closed club but could be joined by what he called associates, democracies aligned on specific initiatives (he named India, South Africa, Norway; we could add Taiwan and several other countries); as well as partners, non-democratic states that want to cooperate on single issues of mutual interest without partnership.
Here is Rasmussen’s paper (pdf) if interested.
I like that constalation, although I dislike it having democracy in the name. There are many countries that are democratic but not aligned with these 7, especially in Africa and Latin-America. But him saying in should not be a closed club is nice. It shouldn’t be closed. But if the US travels much further on it current path it makes sense to improve our relationship with other friends.
This made my day!