Republic of Korea Joins Horizon Europe, Launches Joint EU Chips Projects

According to the European Commission, the Republic of Korea joined Horizon Europe under a transitional arrangement effective 1 January 2025, which opens participation for Korean researchers and organisations in Pillar II calls from the Work Programme 2025 onward. The European Commission states that the signing of a full Association Agreement is expected to take place in 2025, pending completion of required validations on both sides.

According to the Commission's digital strategy page, the EU and the Republic of Korea announced support for four jointly funded semiconductor projects with combined investment of around €12 million, co-funded approximately half by the EU and half by the National Research Foundation (NRF). The selected projects are listed by the Commission as ENERGIZE, NEHIL, HAETAE, and ViTFOX, each scheduled as three-year collaborations that include joint research teams and shared access to facilities.

Per the European Commission, the projects target heterogeneous integration and neuromorphic computing approaches. The Commission's description highlights:

• •ENERGIZE, developing energy-efficient, brain-like circuits built from two-dimensional materials for edge AI.
• •NEHIL, developing a laser-based radar system integrating multiple technologies for high-precision distance measurement.
• •HAETAE, developing photonic, brain-like chips that use light for fast, energy-efficient AI processing.
• •ViTFOX, upgrading visual-AI performance using materials such as ferroelectric oxides to reduce power consumption.

All of the above technical aims and project focuses are reported on the European Commission digital strategy announcement.

Editorial analysis: Partnerships that combine Horizon Europe funding with South Korean research and industrial capacities accelerate cross-border semiconductor R&D, especially in energy-efficient and edge-focused architectures. Industry observers note that combining EU research leadership in sustainable technologies with Korea's advanced semiconductor manufacturing creates an environment conducive to translational projects bridging materials, device integration, and system-level AI applications.

For practitioners: monitor the formal Association Agreement timelines reported by the European Commission to confirm longer-term access for Korean entities to Horizon Europe instruments. Also watch public-results and preprints from the four projects for early prototypes or benchmarked energy-per-inference numbers, which would indicate progress toward practical neuromorphic and photonic edge-AI hardware. Finally, track follow-on funding announcements or industrial partnerships that scale promising lab demonstrations toward pilot manufacturing.