Horizon Europe is the European Commission's most recent framework program for research and innovation funding (successor to Horizon 2020).
It supports the creation and dissemination of science and evidence-based solutions to address the world's most pressing challenges.

• Total budget : €93.5 billion (≈ CAD $140 billion)
• Duration : 2021 à 2027
• Global reach: : over 149 participating countries

The program offers researchers, businesses and universities unique opportunities for collaboration, funding and international visibility.

Since the signing of the Canada–European Union Association Agreement on July 3, 2024 , all Canadian stakeholders can fully participate in Horizon Europe, particularly under Pillar 2..

Eligible participants include:

• Businesses (SMEs and large companies)
• Universities and research centres
• Individual researchers and consortiums
• Non-profit organisations

Since April 2025,the ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie (MEIE) has mandated the RSRI (Regroupements sectoriels de recherche industrielle) to strengthen Québec's participation in the Horizon Europe program.

This mandate aims to:

• Raise awareness among Québec stakeholders about the importance of international collaborations;

• Pinpoint priority research areas and Pillar 2 opportunities;

• Support businesses and research centres in submitting project proposals;

• Coordinate Québec's strategies with European innovation objectives.

This initiative is aimed primarily at RSRI and their members, in order to boost Québec's presence on the European research scene.

InnovÉÉ supports researchers and businesses wishing to join a consortium as part of a Horizon Europe call for projects. 

This collaboration enables:

• The development of collaborative projects under Horizon Europe;

• The strengthening of partnerships between Québec and Europe;

• The promotion of Québec research on the international stage.

Subject to certain conditions and available funding, InnovÉÉ members may be eligible for financial support covering up to 80% of proposal-writing fees, up to a maximum of 5 000 $, as part of the Horizon Europe program.

This initiative aims to foster the participation of Québec organisations in international research and innovation projects by facilitating the preparation and submission of high-quality proposals, while strengthening InnovÉÉ's role as a facilitator of international innovation collaborations.

Eligibility conditions include:

• InnovÉÉ must be involved in supporting the project from the formation of the research consortium;
• At InnovÉÉ's discretion, the project must be in a strategic research area for the Québec ecosystem;
• At InnovÉÉ's discretion, the project must have a reasonable chance of success;
• At InnovÉÉ's discretion, the proposal-development costs must be reasonable and include a reasonable success fee;
• The project is deemed relevant and strategic for InnovÉÉ.

Only expenses incurred AFTER approval by InnovÉÉ are eligible. Eligible expenses must relate to fees paid to external providers for writing or supporting the proposal. Success fees are not eligible.