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 – yet within that brief period, the world order has been turned on its head, not least through the actions of the new administration in Washington, D.C. Beyond trade and tariffs, many other institutional frameworks and foundations have been shaken, if not shattered, with the fields of research and innovation (R&I) among those caught up in the maelstrom.

As the White House slashes research and tech programmes, budgets and headcounts, the ripple effects are being felt far and wide throughout the globe – not least by those having the longest-standing connections, and closest proximity, to the American science system. 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 and quantum, to space and clean energy. 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, two important questions arise: first, which practical and short-term steps can be taken now to better connect the European and Canadian research ecosystems? And second, what can be learned and scaled up from other successful initiatives promoting R&D cooperation beyond Horizon association? 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.