If selected as an NCP, activities are generally carried out within Korea. However, if overseas activities are desired, it may be possible depending on prior agreement with the NCP’s home institution. This would require further coordination with the relevant ministries and related organizations.

NCPs are selected through a public call organized by the NRF. Anyone who is capable of fulfilling the programme’s objectives—such as providing information on major Horizon Europe programmes and supporting network building—can apply.
Detailed eligibility criteria for the NCP support programme can be found on page 4 of the call document, and Korean researchers are also eligible to apply. However, please note that serving as an NCP may limit participation in Horizon Europe projects.

The Korean NCP network is currently being restructured through an open call, and the NRF is expected to take on an overall coordinating role as the NCP coordinator.

No. The Cooperation Promotion Programme is a domestic support scheme designed to help researchers prepare under better conditions for Horizon Europe participation. Therefore, participation in this programme is not directly reflected or scored in Horizon Europe proposal evaluations.

Yes. Researchers affiliated with Korean research institutions can receive support through the Korea–EU Cooperation Promotion Programme when preparing to apply to Horizon Europe in fields such as culture and creativity.

Based on the 2024 programme guidelines, this project is classified as a small-scale joint research project (up to KRW 60 million per year) and is therefore excluded from the limit on the number of concurrently conducted R&D projects.

In general, the evaluation is conducted mainly through qualitative assessment based on the proposal, and it is typically carried out through document (written) review.

For the Cooperation Promotion Programme, the process from application to final selection generally takes about one to one and a half months.

The 2025 Korea–EU Cooperation Promotion Programme will be newly announced in accordance with the MSIT’s plan for next year, so the exact timing has not yet been determined. The call is expected to be announced within the first quarter of 2025, but please check the detailed information once the official notice is released.

Regarding Horizon Europe, the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) is currently supporting (1) the Korea–EU Collaborative Research Programme and (2) the Korea–EU Cooperation Promotion Programme. Even after Korea becomes an associated country, support will continue for participation in Pillar I and Pillar II projects as a third country, where applicable.

Horizon Europe is an EU-funded programme that is fully managed by the EU. Therefore, it is not subject to the domestic “3 projects / 5 roles” rule (3책5공).

Currently, Korea’s association status applies only to Pillar II. In general, Pillar I projects cannot be hosted in third countries.
However, in some schemes such as MSCA Staff Exchanges and MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships – Global Fellowships, Korean institutions may host European researchers for a certain period.

Korea’s participation as an associated country applies only to calls published in 2025. In other words, the call identifier must include “2025.”
Since the calls currently in progress are 2024 calls, Korean institutions cannot participate with associated country status and may only take part as third-country participants.
The fact that a call closes in 2025 or that a project continues into 2025 does not mean that Korean institutions can participate as associated country beneficiaries in those projects.

Korean institutions can participate, but they will do so with third-country status. This means they cannot take part as beneficiaries receiving EU funding and must secure their own research funding.
From 2025 onwards, Korea will become an associated country under Horizon Europe Pillar II, allowing Korean institutions to receive research funding directly from the Horizon Europe budget. In other words, they will be able to participate in Pillar II consortia on an equal footing with EU Member States, either as a coordinator or as a participant (beneficiary).

The accession negotiations have been concluded on the basis that Korea will participate as an associated country starting from the 2025 calls. However, procedurally, only the official signing of the association agreement remains. The signing is expected to take place within the next few months, so it can be considered virtually confirmed.

The possibility of an additional second call is currently under discussion. Please refer to the National Research Foundation website for future updates.
As more countries, including Korea, are becoming associated countries, there are ongoing discussions with the relevant ministries to increase the budget for the cooperation promotion programme, and preparations are underway to expand the budget for the next year.

The results for the call that was announced in February are expected to be released within this week.

You can find the contact details on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (https://ec.europa.eu/info/fundingtenders/opportunities/portal/screen/support/ncp).
For domestic NCPs, the information is also available on the National Research Foundation of Korea website.

According to a search on the Horizon Dashboard, the success rate for Cluster 1 RIA projects in 2023–2024 is about 23%.
If you search for previous calls on the Funding & Tenders Portal, you can find detailed information under Topic Updates, such as how many proposals were submitted for each topic.

Apart from the requirement that at least three institutions from EU Member States or associated countries must participate, there is no specific rule.
However, in general, consortia often consist of at least around 10 beneficiaries, and in the case of large-scale projects, they may include 30–50 partners.