(Science|Business) Data Corner: Middle East participation in EU research shows strong disparities

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Decades of territorial disputes and regional power struggles have not stopped the Middle East from increasing its participation in EU-funded research. But the trend is far from uniform across countries, and the funding allocated to the region overall remains modest.

The Middle East is a loosely-defined geopolitical region, usually said to encompass the Arabian Peninsula with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates; the Levant, comprising Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and Palestine; plus Iraq, Iran, Türkiye and Egypt. Most take part in the EU Framework Programmes (FPs) as third countries, funding their participation on a project-by-project basis. 

Three states, however, have become associated states, paying a subscription fee in order for their researchers to bid for FP funds alongside their EU peers. These are Israel, whose association dates to 1996; Türkiye, which joined in 2003; and Egypt, added in 2025.

Going back to FP2, which ran from 1987 to 1991, just Israel and Egypt were involved in EU-funded projects. It is only from the mid-90s that the region more broadly started to gain traction, with eight of the 16 countries winning grants under both FP4 and FP5, and 11 winning grants under FP6. 

Under the successor programmes, FP7 and Horizon 2020, the number rose to 15, with Iraq missing from FP7 and Syria missing from Horizon 2020, although both had previously taken part. 

Four years into Horizon Europe, researchers from 12 Middle Eastern nations have signed 1,555 grants, worth €1.31 billion in total. For comparison, Horizon 2020 saw 2,469 grants awarded with Middle Eastern participants, worth €1.57 billion. Countries absent so far include Yemen, Oman, Bahrain and Syria.

Participation rates among the 16 countries are widely unequal due to their uneven access to the FPs, disparities in resources and visibility in international networks, and a high concentration of EU funds going to the most developed partners. 

Given its long association, it comes as no surprise that Israel ranks first, both in terms of funding and number of grants, with 5,700 projects worth €3.45 billion. Türkiye comes a distant second, with 3,000 grants worth €901.3 million, and is followed by Egypt, with 353 grants worth €37.7 million. 

At the other end of the range, Bahrain received just €0.09 million for three grants under FP7 and Horizon 2020, each represented by a different type of stakeholder: the government’s online authority, the University of Bahrain and the Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research. Yemen also won three grants under the same FPs, two of which were together with Bahrain.

Other countries have also been awarded less than €1 million over the years. This includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.

The project with most funding from the EU, €29.1 million, fell under FP7. Known as E450MLDAP, it comprised 42 participants, including four Israeli entities, which worked on the transition of the European semiconductor industry to 450-millimetre wafers to increase chip production efficiency and reduce costs. The second-highest funded project, Circle, involves 16 members and is coordinated by Israel. It was awarded €11.0 million under Horizon Europe to transform food waste into energy and high-value bio-based chemicals, and will run until August 2028.