Public consultation launched on the future of European Partnerships under Horizon Europe

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the future of contractual European Partnerships under Horizon Europe. Until 16 October 2026, universities, research organisations, companies, industry associations, start-ups, SMEs and other stakeholders are invited to share their experience and recommendations. The consultation will help shape the future development of European Partnerships and strengthen Europe's research, innovation and competitiveness.

European Partnerships are among the European Union's key instruments for implementing Horizon Europe. They bring together public and private investments, foster collaboration between academia, industry and public authorities, and accelerate the development of innovative solutions to major societal and technological challenges.

Share your experience with Horizon Europe Partnerships

The consultation aims to gather feedback on the role, governance and effectiveness of contractual European Partnerships under Horizon Europe. Participants are invited to share their views on how these partnerships can be improved and how future collaborative initiatives can better support Europe's research and innovation ecosystem.

The European Commission is particularly interested in recommendations that help strengthen Europe's competitiveness and accelerate the translation of research results into market-ready innovations.

Who can participate?

The consultation is open to a wide range of stakeholders, including:

• Universities and research organisations
• Companies and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
• Start-ups and scale-ups
• Technology centres
• Research and technology infrastructures
• Industry associations
• Public authorities
• Non-governmental organisations
• Other stakeholders and interested citizens 

Contributions can be submitted via the online questionnaire in any official EU language.

Why this consultation matters for research and innovation

European Partnerships play a central role in delivering the objectives of Horizon Europe. They create long-term cooperation between public and private organisations, leverage investment and support the development of innovative technologies in strategic fields such as health, climate, energy, digital technologies and industrial competitiveness.

The consultation offers the research and innovation community a unique opportunity to contribute directly to the future design of Horizon Europe Partnerships and help shape the next generation of collaborative European research and innovation initiatives.

Take part in the consultation

The public consultation is open from 10 July until 16 October 2026.

Interested stakeholders can complete the online questionnaire via the European Commission's "Have Your Say" portal.

Would you like to help shape the future of European Partnerships under Horizon Europe? Share your experience and contribute to the European Commission's public consultation by 16 October 2026.