Horizon Europe Missions will reach full steam this year. The €1.9 billion two-year plan for the missions saw the light of day last autumn, with the European Commission launching the first calls in the last weeks of 2021.

A row between the European Parliament and the Council over whether unspent money in the previous Horizon 2020 EU research and innovation programme should be rolled into the 2022 Horizon Europe budget remains unresolved - and could repeat itself again next year. 

On 6 December 2021, the agreement associating Israel to Horizon Europe entered into force.

The UK announced a safety net to make sure Horizon Europe grant winners receive funding if association to the research programme remains on ice.

The SNSF Starting Grants 2022 target researchers who wanted to apply for a 2022 ERC Starting Grant or for an SNSF Eccellenza Professorial Fellowship. Consequently, there will be no Eccellenza call 2022.

This year's budget waltz is over. After months of haggling, MEPs scored a last-minute deal last night on the 2022 budget, convincing member states to allocate some extra cash to Horizon Europe, though in the end the increase was far lower than the European Parliament was bidding for.

Switzerland should agree to a timeline for ironing out broader political disagreements with the EU, the European Commission announced on Monday, signaling a long road ahead for Swiss association to Horizon Europe.

Let's not beat around the bush: science policy is political.

After years of bickering, Washington and Brussels appear to be patching up a disagreement over American researchers participating in the EU's big R&D programmes.

Research and university associations from across Europe have sent a letter to the European Commission calling for the UK to become associated in Horizon Europe without delay.

Minister 'quite concerned' about delay to finalising UK's participation in €80bn Horizon Europe scheme

The EU has wrapped up Horizon Europe negotiations with Israel and hopes to sign it up as an associated country before the end of the year, despite pressure from pro-Palestinian academics and objections in Brussels to the country's settlement policies. While the association was expected, the breakthrough comes as uncertainty clouds the status of the UK and Switzerland, two other major potential partners of the research framework.

Universities in Europe 'strongly regret' that finalisation of association is still elusive 10 months after Brexit agreement.

The Swiss parliament has agreed to pay overdue cohesion funds stretching back to 2012 - but this only removes one hurdle to reviving Horizon Europe association talks. 

Switzerland's ETH Domain call on the government to regain access to EU's Horizon Europe research collaborations.

Switzerland has unveiled details of a funding scheme through which Horizon Europe applicants will still be able to carry on with their projects, despite the country's uncertain status in the EU research programme.

Switzerland will be excluded from Horizon Europe for at least two years, fears Yves Flückiger, president of the country's university association, swissuniversities and rector of the University of Geneva.

EU officials are urging Australia and New Zealand to associate to Horizon Europe, publicly telling them how welcome they would be - but it's not clear if the feeling is mutual.

Transitional measures for researchers are envisaged following Switzerland's non-association to Horizon Europe.

Switzerland has been locked out of the EU's flagship Horizon Europe research and innovation programme until further notice.

Switzerland is mounting a campaign to convince Brussels its participation in Horizon Europe should not be confounded by broader political tensions, but member states say it may time take to patch things up after Switzerland unilaterally withdrew from talks about its overall relationship with the EU.

Policy makers and lobbyists in Brussels want to explicitly limit access for scientists in countries that flout academic freedom and intellectual property rights.

Switzerland has been excluded from a provisional list of third countries eligible for Horizon Europe funding.

Horizon Europe, the EU's new €95.5 billion R&D programme, is finally underway. It is starting more than five months late - a record even by Brussels' dilatory standards. But what's in it? 

Obstacles to finalising association agreements for EU's research programme now removed, say continental observers.

Researchers from Israel, Switzerland, Britain and other non-EU countries may be allowed to join the EU's quantum and space research projects, under a deal between representatives of member states and the European Commission reached this week. The agreement could end months of uncertainties around international participation in sensitive R&D projects in Horizon Europe, the EU's new €95.5 billion R&D programme.

Prolonged discussions about associate status and the breakdown of negotiations on EU-Switzerland relations has left Swiss universities bracing for potential exclusion from the €95.5 billion programme. 

Swiss universities called on the Federal Council on Monday to resolve a long-running treaty saga with Brussels, or risk scuppering the country's chances of a research deal.

Research-intensive university groups representing 77 universities across Europe have joined together to signal their determination to collaborate across borders to drive innovation and new discoveries. The joint statement also calls upon the European Union not to restrict access for associated countries, such as the UK and Switzerland, to parts of its multi-billion Horizon Europe research programme.

As Horizon Europe issues its first call for grants, Nature reviews some big changes - from open science to goal-oriented "missions".