Provisional Information on Administrative Arrangements with the USA
The European Commission is close to signing an Institutional Arrangement with the USA, which would allow American legal entities that cannot sign the grant agreement to work with Horizon 2020 consortia.
A significant number of public entities in the US (universities, government departments, federal funding agencies, etc.) is prevented from participating in Horizon 2020 because of certain provisions of the grant agreement, which among other things states that "The Agreement is governed by the applicable EU law, supplemented if necessary by the law of Belgium." This effectively precludes some public entities in the US from becoming beneficiaries on Horizon 2020-funded projects.
However, following the latest round of talks between the Commission and its American counterparts, a solution similar to the one that has recently been agreed with Canada seems very likely and an Administrative Arrangement with the USA could be signed within weeks. It would mirror the Canadian Arrangement allowing American institutions to work with Horizon 2020 consortia outside of the scope of the grant agreement after agreeing the modalities of such cooperation, but unlike the Canadian one, it would also extend to universities.
By signing the Administrative Arrangement both parties would pave the way for increased scientific cooperation between the EU and the US, which is currently hindered by some legal aspects of Horizon 2020.
