KRISS Selected for Horizon Europe Projects with Direct EU Funding

- Four projects selected in strategic areas, including 6G and quantum technologies, marking Korea's first major achievement following its association with Horizon Europe -

 

 

▲ Aerial view of the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS)

 

 

The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) has secured direct research funding from Horizon Europe following Korea's accession as an associate member to the EU programme.

 

Horizon Europe is the world's largest multilateral research and innovation programme, with a total budget of €95.5 billion for the period from 2021 to 2027, funded by the European Union. In the past, only EU member states and neighboring countries were eligible to participate as beneficiaries and receive funding directly.

 

As a result, Korean research institutions had previously participated in Horizon Europe collaborative projects only as associated partners, which are not eligible for direct EU funding, requiring research costs to be covered separately through domestic budgets.

 

However, in January 2025, Korea became the first country in Asia to join Horizon Europe as an associate member. With this change, KRISS has been able to participate in the newly selected projects as a beneficiary, receiving and managing Horizon Europe funding directly.

 

▲ R&D site for electromagnetic wave metrology standards at KRISS 

 

KRISS has been selected for a total of four projects under the European Partnership on Metrology (EPM) calls within Horizon Europe. Of these, three projects will receive approximately €285,000 in research funding over a three-year period starting in 2026.

 

The European Partnership on Metrology is part of Pillar 2 (Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness) of Horizon Europe, specifically within Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry and Space). Led by European Association of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET), the partnership aims to develop metrology technologies to address global challenges such as health and climate change, with broad participation from National Metrology Institutes (NMIs), research organizations, universities, and industry.

 

 

▲ R&D site for biomedical metrology standards at KRISS 

 

The projects selected for KRISS span national strategic technology areas, including next-generation communications, advanced biotechnology, and quantum technologies. KRISS is collaborating with leading European National Metrology Institutes, including the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) of the United Kingdom and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) of Germany, as part of international research consortia.

 

Through these collaborations, KRISS will jointly develop the following technologies:

- 6GOnWafer (Integrated European Metrology, IEM) Advanced VNA-based microwave on-wafer measurements for electronics and 6G communications

- XMET (Metrology for Health, HLT) Metrology to ensure rapid and accurate diagnostic response to current and emerging infectious diseases

- Setup-T (Metrology for Research Potential, RPT) Supporting emerging technology uptake for thermodynamic temperature dissemination

- Q-EnaMa (Integrated European Metrology, IEM) Quantum-enabled nanoscale magnetic field metrology for traceable standards

 

 

▲ R&D site for thermometry and fluid flow metrology standards at KRISS 

 

▲ R&D site for quantum magnetic sensing at KRISS 

 

This achievement reflects the tangible results of the strong trust and collaboration networks that KRISS has built over many years with leading research institutions in Europe, including those in the United Kingdom and Germany. KRISS has steadily strengthened these partnerships through formal agreements, such as memoranda of understanding, as well as continuous researcher exchanges, and has recently expanded the scope of collaboration to include national strategic technology areas.

In addition to the projects selected this time, KRISS is currently participating in multiple other calls under Horizon Europe, with results pending, raising expectations for further achievements in the near future.

 

President Lee Ho Seong of KRISS stated, "This achievement demonstrates that Korea's measurement standards technologies are operating at the highest level within Europe-led large-scale research ecosystems." He added, "Building on this success, we will further strengthen collaboration with leading European researchers and take a proactive role in securing global technological leadership."