Welcome to the latest edition of the EURAXESS ASEAN Quarterly Newsletter! Our mission is to bridge Southeast Asia and Europe by providing researchers, academics, and professionals with essential insights and updates that foster collaboration and innovation. Dive into funding opportunities, discover the latest research advancements, and explore initiatives that link the ASEAN research community with Europe, promoting scientific excellence and knowledge exchange.

We're thrilled to include our Country Profiles - comprehensive guides offering valuable insights into the research landscapes of individual EU member states. Discover key information on research funding, institutional frameworks, and collaborative opportunities, unlocking new pathways for growth and innovation.

Join us in exploring the dynamic worlds of research in ASEAN and the EU, and expand your understanding of global research opportunities!

Since its inception, ASEAN researchers and institutions have actively engaged with Horizon Europe, making notable contributions to research and innovation along with European counterparts. EURAXESS ASEAN report offers a comprehensive overview of their participation, providing a country-by-country profile based on the latest Horizon Dashboard data and highlighting key progress indicators.

As of February 7, 2025, ASEAN's engagement with Horizon Europe is marked by 115 signed grants involving 134 participants, with European Union contributions totalling €11.49 million.

Here is the breakdown of ASEAN participation in various Horizon Europe actions as of February 7, 2025:

• MSCA-COFUND: 4 participations
• MSCA-Doctoral Network: 12 participations
• MSCA-Postdoctoral Fellowship: 5 participations
• MSCA-Staff Exchange: 62 participations
• Horizon-COFUND: 2 participations
• Horizon-CSA: 8 participations
• Horizon-EIC: 2 participations
• Horizon-ERC: 3 participations
• Horizon-IA: 5 participations
• Horizon-RIA: 31 participations

Click here for the link below for the general outlook on the participation of ASEAN researchers and institutions. 

Horizon Europe is the European Union's premier funding program for research and innovation, allocating EUR 93.5 billion from 2021 to 2027. It focuses on addressing global challenges like climate change, achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals, and boosting EU competitiveness. The program fosters collaboration and amplifies the impact of research across borders, encouraging participation from legal entities in the EU and associated countries.

For ASEAN research and innovation communities, Horizon Europe offers substantial opportunities for collaboration with European partners. Since the 16th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting in 2007, scientific cooperation between ASEAN and the EU has been central to their partnership. The ASEAN-EU Strategic Partnership Plan (2023-2027) emphasizes strengthening ties through Horizon Europe, promoting collaboration across Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) centres and stakeholders.

The programme operates through three key pillars, with the first two being especially relevant for ASEAN communities:

1. Excellent Science: This pillar focuses on boosting Europe's global competitiveness in research and innovation. It funds initiatives aimed at enhancing the scientific knowledge base through programs like the European Research Council (ERC) and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA).
2. Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness: This pillar addresses pressing societal challenges, such as health, climate change, energy, and mobility. It supports collaborative research and innovation projects that foster cross-border cooperation among EU member states, businesses, and research organizations, facilitating the development of innovative solutions for global issues.
3. Innovative Europe: This pillar aims to stimulate Europe’s innovation capacity by supporting breakthrough technologies and the scaling of innovative companies. It includes support for the European Innovation Council (EIC), which funds high-risk, high-reward innovations, and encourages collaboration among startups, SMEs, and larger enterprises.

Horizon Europe also emphasizes cross-cutting objectives, such as promoting gender equality, sustainability, and the digital transformation of societies. By fostering international collaboration, the program aims to strengthen Europe’s role in the global research landscape and enhance its contributions to addressing complex challenges worldwide. 

Through Horizon Europe, participants can access various funding opportunities, networking platforms, and collaborative initiatives to advance their research and innovation objectives.

Factsheet_12021

Presentation outlining Horizon Europe in 23 languages
International cooperation in the programme
READ MORE ABOUT HORIZON EUROPE

The European Research Council (ERC) was established by the European Union in 2007. It is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research and funds creative researchers of any nationality and age to run projects across Europe.

The ERC Work Programme 2025 was recently adopted. The programme sets out funding opportunities, budgets for the calls, the calendar of grant competitions, and conditions for ERC funding. More than 2.7 billion euros will be available for research grants in the coming year. You can find the ERC Work Programme 2025 here.

The ERC offers 4 core grant schemes:

1) Starting Grants: if you are a talented early-career scientist who has already produced excellent supervised work, is ready to work independently and shows potential to be a research leader, then the ERC Starting Grant could be for you. More info here: https://erc.europa.eu/apply-grant/starting-grant

2) Consolidator Grants: if you are a scientist who wants to consolidate your independence by establishing a research team and continuing to develop a successful career in Europe, then the ERC Consolidator Grant could be for you. You can also apply if you have recently created an independent, excellent research team and want to strengthen it. More info here: https://erc.europa.eu/apply-grant/consolidator-grant

3) Advanced Grants: if you are an established, leading principal investigator who wants long-term funding to pursue a ground-breaking, ambitious project, then the ERC Advanced Grant could be for you. More info here: https://erc.europa.eu/apply-grant/advanced-grant

4) Synergy Grants: if you are a researcher who wants to address a research problem so ambitious that you and your team alone can not deal with it, then the Synergy Grants could be for you. More info here: https://erc.europa.eu/apply-grant/synergy-grant

5) Proof of Concept Grant: if you have already received an ERC grant for your frontier research project and now want to explore the commercial or societal potential of your work, then the ERC Proof of Concept Grant could be for you. More info here: https://erc.europa.eu/apply-grant/proof-concept

For a quick overview, check out the indicative summary of calls from the 2025 budget in this graphic:

More information about the grant schemes is available on the ERC website: https://erc.europa.eu/apply-grant
 

As Part of Horizon Europe, the Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions (MSCA) are the European Union’s flagship funding programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training of researchers.

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions fund excellent research and innovation and equip researchers at all stages of their career with new knowledge and skills, through mobility across borders and exposure to different sectors and disciplines. The MSCA help build Europe’s capacity for research and innovation by investing in the long-term careers of excellent researchers.

The MSCA also fund the development of excellent doctoral and postdoctoral training programmes and collaborative research projects worldwide. By doing so, they achieve a structuring impact on higher education institutions, research centres and non-academic organisations.

The MSCA promote excellence and set standards for high-quality researcher education and training in line with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the recruitment of researchers.

The following actions are most suitable for ASEAN communities: 

1. MSCA Doctoral Networks: Doctoral programmes supporting research in academia and other sectors.
2. MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships: Supporting the careers of individual researchers and promoting excellence.
3. MSCA Staff Exchanges: Promoting knowledge collaboration between organisations and sharing best practices.

Please check here to discover the latest MSCA funding opportunities for which to apply.

Read more about MSCA

Pillar II focuses on global challenges and european industrial competitiveness. moves beyond the societal challenges familiar under Horizon 2020, tackling major global challenges and addressing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which aim to 'improve people's lives and to protect the planet for future generation'.  

The Pillar will encourage cross-disciplinary, cross-sectoral, cross-policy and cross-border collaboration in pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by following the principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement adopted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the competitiveness of the Union's industries.

Horizon Europe budget allocates more than €53 billion for pillar II:

1. Health
2. Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Societies
3. Civil Security for Society
4. Digital, Industry & Space
5. Climate, Energy and Mobility
6. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture & Environment

The organisation of high-ambition, wide-scale initiatives in the form of research and innovation missions would enable the Programme to achieve a transformative and systemic impact for society in support of the SDGs, also through international cooperation and science diplomacy. The activities under that pillar should cover the full range of R&I activities to ensure that the Union remains at the cutting-edge in strategically defined priorities.

This pillar shall support the creation and better diffusion of high-quality new knowledge, technologies and sustainable solutions, reinforce the European industrial competitiveness, strengthen the impact of R&I in developing, supporting and implementing Union policies, and support the uptake of innovative solutions in industry, in particular in SMEs and start- ups, and society to address global challenges.

Social sciences and humanities shall be fully integrated across all clusters, including specific and dedicated activities.

Pillar II covers activities from a broad range of Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), including lower TRLs.

Each cluster contributes towards several SDGs and many SDGs are supported by more than one cluster.

In addition to the clusters, the non-nuclear direct actions of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) under this Pillar aim at generating high-quality scientific evidence for efficient and affordable good public policies. The JRC provides Union policies with independent scientific evidence and technical support throughout the policy cycle and focuses its research on Union policy priorities.

A transparent and strategic planning of R&I activities for the pillar 'Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness' supports the implementation of the activities under it, resulting in a multiannual strategic plan.

“Before you get started, you’ll need to create an EU login account. This account grants you access to all the services and tools on the Funding and Tenders Portal and is necessary for developing and submitting your proposal.”

An EU Login is necessary to access the Horizon Europe funding platform because it acts as the European Commission's standardized authentication service, allowing users to log in and manage their applications for research and innovation funding through the Funding and Tenders Portal using a single set of credentials, providing a secure and streamlined process to submit proposals and access relevant information within the Horizon Europe program. 

Please consult resources on EU Login – Online Manual – Funding Tenders Opportunity for a step-by-step note on how to create the account.

Key points about EU Login and Horizon Europe:

Access to the platform:
You need an EU Login to log in to the Funding and Tenders Portal, which is the primary platform for accessing and applying for Horizon Europe funding opportunities. 

Single sign-on:
This single login allows you to access various features and services on the portal with just one set of credentials.

Managing applications:
Once logged in, you can manage your project proposals, track their progress, and access important information related to your applications. 

Organization registration:
Your organization needs to be registered on the platform, which is linked to your EU Login account, allowing for proper identification and management of your participation in Horizon Europe. 
 

“The second step is to make sure that your institution has a PIC Number.”

A PIC number (Participant Identification Code) is required to participate in Horizon Europe because it acts as a unique identifier for your organization within the European Commission's system, allowing you to submit project proposals and access EU funding by providing a standardized way to track and manage your organization's details when applying for grants within the Horizon Europe program. 

Please consult resources on PIC and Organisation Roles and Data and Online Manual Participant Register-Register Your Organisation on how to get the PIC number on the Funding & Tender Portal of the European Commission.

Key points about PIC numbers and Horizon Europe:

Registration needed:
To apply for any Horizon Europe funding, your organization must first register on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal, create an EU Login and receive a unique PIC number. 

Identifying your organization:
The PIC number acts as a reference point, ensuring the European Commission can easily identify and verify your organization's information when reviewing proposals. 

Mandatory for participation:
You cannot submit a Horizon Europe project proposal without a valid PIC number. 

Accessing the portal:
Your PIC number is used to log in to the Funding and Tenders Portal where you can submit proposals and manage your participation in Horizon Europe calls. 
 

Horizon Europe is the EU’s 7-year flagship funding programme (2021-2027) for research and innovation. The European Union is a world leader in research and innovation, hosting some of the best universities and most innovative companies in the world. Europe offers exceptional opportunities to researchers all over the world to collaborate with European research teams through the Horizon Europe programme. In 2021, the European Union updated its strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation, presenting a new Global Approach based on openness to the world, shared values and principles, and focusing on global challenges, especially the green and digital transitions, health and innovation. This strategy is reflected in Horizon Europe, where the majority of calls for proposals are open to any company, researcher, university, non-governmental organisation, etc. regardless of their place of residence or establishment.

Why apply?

• Share the latest knowledge and research results
• Research your goals faster
• Grow your network
• Work on global projects for global challenges
• Enhance your capacity and grow your career

How can you participate?
Collaborative projects: most EU support is allocated to collaborative research projects carried out by consortia of organisations working together on specific research areas. Organisations from anywhere in the world can participate, but consortia must include at least one organisation established in an EU Member State and at least two other organisations established in different EU Member States or countries associated to Horizon Europe.

Individual researchers: The European Research Council and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions offer unparalleled opportunities for researchers who want to work in Europe. If you are considering applying for these, you should contact your choice for a potential host institution in advance.

Are you eligible for funding? 
Researchers and organisations established anywhere in the world can participate in Horizon Europe. In addition, some may be eligible for EU-funding including: 

• Organisations established in the European Union or in a country associated to Horizon Europe, are automatically eligible for funding.
• Organisations established in some 110 low- and middle-income countries are eligible for EU-funding.
• Organisations established in other countries can still be eligible for EU funding when this is explicitly stated in the relevant call for proposals/topic or when their participation is considered by the European Commission to be essential for carrying out the action.
• Individual researchers wishing to work in the EU and Horizon Europe associated countries, could in general also be eligible for funding, through their host institutions, regardless of nationality – in European Research Council actions and, depending on the type of actions they apply to, in the Marie SkłodowskaCurie actions (some of which require international mobility of the researcher).

For further details, see programme-gude_horizon_en.pdf (Europa.eu).
This information is taken from Why participate in Horizon Europe.pdf.

“Open science is an approach based on open cooperative work and systematic sharing of knowledge and tools as early and widely as possible in the process, including the active engagement of society.”

Under Horizon Europe, open science is a legal requirement designed to foster transparency and trust, ultimately benefiting both scientific research and EU citizens. Open science promotes collaborative research by emphasizing early and widespread sharing of knowledge, results, and tools. This approach operates on the principle "as open as possible, as closed as necessary," allowing exceptions for legitimate interests like commercial exploitation or data protection.

To navigate open science obligations, the Research Executive Agency (REA) offers guidance on complying with open science practices in EU-funded projects. Open science practices include mandatory open access to publications and research data, adhering to FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles. Researchers are encouraged to include open science methods in their project proposals, enhancing evaluation scores.

Open Research Europe provides a no-cost platform for beneficiaries to publish open access, and the Data Management Plan (DMP) is crucial for managing research data throughout the project. Trusted repositories are key for sharing outputs, with Zenodo being a widely supported option. Should restrictions on data access be necessary, beneficiaries must explain these in their DMPs.

The synergy between open science and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) ensures that while results can be exploited commercially, open access remains the default for research data, unless justified otherwise. These systems work together to maintain a balance between innovation dissemination and protection, ensuring that all procedures align with the Grant Agreement’s stipulations.

Please visit Open Science in Horizon Europe published by REA for further information
 

“Are gender norms embedded in the concepts, theories and models used by your research field? How do gender and interconnected social categorisations, such as race, class, etc., work? Do your chosen methodologies ensure that gender and other connected social characterisations are considered and investigated? Have you explained how including sex and gender findings will increase the quality of the research and improve the impact and relevance of the results?”

Applicants to Horizon Europe funding are encouraged to address issues of gender balance and equal opportunities among the project team members or participants in activities organised by the project. Gender balance comes into play as a ranking factor to prioritise proposals with the same score in each criterion.

The European Commission is steadfast in its commitment to advancing gender equality within research and innovation, aligning with the broader EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025. Despite an established regulatory framework, specific actions are essential to overcome enduring gender gaps in the sector. These efforts are integrated into Horizon Europe, marking gender equality as a priority, with mechanisms to improve research inclusivity and societal relevance.

Horizon Europe addresses gender equality on three main levels: requiring Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) for certain entities, integrating gender dimensions into projects, and striving for gender balance across program structures. Financial support is allocated specifically for gender-focused research, strengthening policies in the European Research Area, and empowering women innovators through the European Innovation Council.

The Commission promotes gender inclusion in STEM, addressing disparities with initiatives like the EU Prize for Women Innovators, the Girls Go Circular project, and STEM-focused workshops. Gender equality in the European Research Area emphasizes career balance, decision-making equality, and gender-inclusive research content.

Recent initiatives also address the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on gender equality, recognizing its exacerbation of existing disparities in research productivity and care responsibilities. Consequently, targeted recommendations advocate for revised research assessment criteria and support schemes to mitigate these effects.

Through strategic collaborations, networks like GENDER-NET Plus and GENDERACTION Plus enhance transnational efforts to integrate gender considerations into research and innovation, fostering an inclusive and equitable European Research Area.

Please consult resources on Gender Equality in Research and Innovation and  Gender in EU Research and Innovation, including a detailed information package and series of Q&A for how to apply or comply with Horizon Europe funding principles.
 

The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity provides a vital framework for self-regulation within the European research community, applicable across all scientific and scholarly disciplines and various research settings. The 2023 Revised Edition has been updated to ensure its continued relevance and applicability to emerging research fields and new practices. The European Commission recognizes this Code as the central standard for ensuring research integrity in all EU-funded projects.

This updated Code not only serves as a benchmark for national and institutional codes of conduct but also informs funding guidelines, training programs, and discipline-specific standards. It underpins key initiatives, such as the guidelines for responsible Open Science developed by the Horizon-funded ROSiE project and the living guidelines for the responsible application of generative AI in research promoted by the European Research Area Forum.

The 2023 revision emphasizes the importance of fostering a positive research culture as essential for upholding research integrity and implementing good research practices. It places increased responsibility on stakeholders to observe and advocate for these practices while promoting the principles that support them. Additionally, the revised Code addresses growing concerns related to discrimination and exclusion, underlining the necessity of advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion within the research community.

Furthermore, the updates take into account changes in data management practices, compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and recent advancements in Open Science and research evaluation techniques. Overall, the 2023 Revised European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity reaffirms the commitment to ethical research practices and sets a standard for integrity in scientific inquiry across Europe.

Please take a look at the document here: The European Code of Conduct for Research, Published in 2023, Original version in English.

The European Commission, in collaboration with stakeholders from European Research Area (ERA) countries, has established a comprehensive set of guidelines to assist the research community in the responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (AI). As the implementation of this technology expands across various fields, including scientific research, these recommendations aim to address both the opportunities and challenges it presents.

Grounded in principles of research integrity, the guidelines provide invaluable guidance for researchers, research organizations, and funding bodies, ensuring a unified approach across Europe. They build on established frameworks such as the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and the Ethics guidelines for trustworthy AI.

Recognizing the potential of generative AI to enhance research efficiency and accelerate discoveries, the guidelines also stress the importance of being aware of the technology’s limitations, such as issues of plagiarism, the risk of disclosing sensitive information, and inherent biases within AI models.

Key figures, including Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President, and Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, and Youth, champion these guidelines as essential for fostering innovation while maintaining transparency and responsibility within the research community.

Key recommendations from the guidelines include:

• Researchers should avoid using generative AI tools for sensitive tasks, such as peer reviews or evaluations, while ensuring compliance with privacy, confidentiality, and intellectual property regulations.
• Research organizations are encouraged to promote responsible use of generative AI and to monitor the development and application of these tools within their institutions.
• Funding organizations should facilitate transparency for applicants utilizing generative AI in their research endeavors.

Understanding that generative AI is a rapidly evolving field, the European Commission commits to regularly updating these guidelines based on feedback from the scientific community and stakeholders. This initiative underscores the EU’s leadership role in regulating AI and promotes a consistent approach to harnessing the benefits of generative AI in research while upholding scientific integrity and public trust.

Please consult resources on Guidelines on the Responsible Use of Generative AI in Research for further information.
 

The European Commission issued an update to the European Economic Security Package to strengthen the EU's economic security amidst growing geopolitical tensions and technological shifts. This update, proposed six months after the original document, addresses concerns from industry and research sectors regarding "strategic autonomy" and "dual use".

Key Initiatives of the Updated Package:

• Tighten inbound investment screening rules.
• Advance export control conformity across the EU.
• Establish an outbound investment screening mechanism.
• Scale up dual-use and advanced technology research.
• Protect research and advanced technology from leaking to competitors.

The updated strategy expands on the 2023 agenda's focus on economic growth by adding a wider geopolitical dimension. It aligns with the EU's comprehensive approach to economic security, characterized by three pillars: fostering competitiveness, mitigating risks, and forging partnerships. This reinforces the EU's Global Approach to research and innovation, emphasizing mutually beneficial relationships with like-minded partners while safeguarding strategically important sectors.

Key Risks Addressed:

• Supply chain resilience.
• Energy security.
• Product scarcity (green transition and pharmaceuticals).
• Physical and cyber-security risks (including sabotage to critical infrastructure and data).
• Technology security and leakage risks.
• Weaponization of economic dependencies (third countries targeting the EU through trade/investment).

The update includes measures to enhance EU security and public order, encourage dialogue on export controls, engage stakeholders to identify risks, support research on dual-use technologies, and propose recommendations for bolstering research security. It clarifies the definition and implications of "dual-use" technology, encompassing goods, software, and technologies applicable to both civilian and military purposes.

The strategy emphasizes the need for greater flexibility to adapt to rapidly changing events, particularly in sensitive emerging technologies. It promotes cooperation among Member States to streamline export controls and bolster national research capabilities, while also working to prevent the leakage of sensitive technologies and innovation to competitors. Ultimately, the goal is to project greater unity and understanding regarding the need for secure international trade and cooperation within an interconnected world.

For more detailed information, please read the document here.