Stronger together: How to deepen EU-Canada R&I cooperation in an increasingly turbulent world?

It is less than a year since Canada and the EU signed their formal Horizon Europe association agreement, following many months of negotiations, at a time when – in retrospect – the world of research and innovation (R&I) seemed like a rather predictable and stable place. Suffice to say, the global science system has undergone a period of radical upheaval since then, largely thanks to the actions of the second Trump administration – meaning that new questions are being asked about the sustainability of the institutional frameworks and foundations that have long underpinned international research collaboration.

Consequentially, other nations and blocs are now being forced to think more strategically about their future R&D partnerships, and what to prioritise in terms of political stability, shared values and norms, and mutual benefit. In this context, there is a growing view that the current turbulence offers a unique window of opportunity for Europe and Canada to strengthen their historic ties and to seek a more ambitious alignment of R&I agendas in key domains and sectors – from AI, quantum and advanced materials, to clean energy, industrial decarbonisation and mitigating and adapting to climate change. 

Yet while time is clearly of the essence, policy making and implementation tend to move slowly, and knowledge of each other’s systems is also limited. On the one hand, Canada’s association to Pillar II of Horizon is an important step – but the reality is that it may take years for universities, RTOs, clusters and companies to secure high volumes of funding and projects. On the other, relatively few within Europe’s science community have in-depth experience of the flagship Canadian programmes to support collaborative science, tech development and innovation.

Against this backdrop, three important questions arise: first, which practical and short-term steps can be taken now to better connect the European and Canadian research ecosystems? Second, what can be learned and scaled up from other successful initiatives promoting R&D cooperation beyond Horizon association?  And third, what does the outcome of the recent elections mean for EU-Canada R&I cooperation for the remainder of Horizon Europe, but also whatever will succeed the current FP from 2028 onwards? On May 22, Science|Business will convene senior representatives from both sides of the Atlantic, along with members of its international Network, for an inclusive, high-level debate on the potential ways forward.