The Joint Research Centre (JRC) has established over 500 cooperation agreements with a wide range of science for policy partners in Europe and beyond. These agreements cover a broad range of scientific fields and enable the sharing of infrastructure, laboratory equipment and data, as well as the transfer of knowledge.
How it works
The majority of these partnerships are bilateral agreements with public and private research organisations, universities, and national and international bodies.
Many collaboration agreements are in force with academia and research centres, allowing partners to work together on common research projects, exchange information and data, and share research infrastructure without exchanging funds.
Trends in collaboration topics
The scientific areas covered by these agreements align with the European Commission’s policy priorities. Currently
- almost 30% of agreements focus on sustainability and the fight against climate change
- around 20% relate to digitalisation, security and the international dimension of the EU
- a number of agreements cover nuclear issues, primarily related to safety, security and decommissioning
Geographic reach
As of April 2025, the JRC has approximately 400 living agreements with partners within the European Union, with a significant presence in
- Italy (93 agreements)
- Germany (64 agreements)
- France (56 agreements)
- And a growing presence in other EU countries, including Estonia, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta
More on our EU partnerships
The JRC also has 52 partnership agreements with non-EU European countries, including
- 26 with the United Kingdom
- 20 with Switzerland
- 3 with Ukraine
Additionally, the JRC collaborates with partners on all other continents, including
- 30 agreements in the United States
- 5 agreements in Canada
- 39 agreements in Asia
- 7 agreements in Africa
- 2 agreements in South America
- And partnerships in Oceania
More on our international partnerships
Regional partnerships
Some agreements are signed with national or regional authorities to foster cooperation between the JRC and local organisations, universities and companies. This modality is particularly active in the areas around JRC’s scientific sites, such as
- Regione Lombardia for the Ispra site
- Baden-Württemberg for Karlsruhe
- Andalusia for Seville
We also provide cross-regional scientific support to help implement the Danube strategy, which seeks to improve the economic development across the region and boost growth and jobs through better policy making and funding.
These partnerships demonstrate the JRC's commitment to collaboration and knowledge-sharing, enabling us to fully play our role as the European Commission's science and knowledge service.