The European Commission and Nigeria have opened negotiations on a bilateral Science & Technology Cooperation Agreement intended to increase joint work on research and innovation.
Talks were launched on behalf of the EU with the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with the Commission linking the move to the conclusions of the 2023 EU–Nigeria Strategic Dialogue and the 2024 EU–Nigeria Summit, the EU executive announced on Monday.
A future agreement would set out a political framework for the EU and Nigeria to review previous cooperation, discuss lessons learnt and decide future actions, in line with bilateral priorities and the African Union (AU)–EU Innovation Agenda for 2023–2033, it added.
The negotiations are taking place alongside the second EU–Nigeria Science and Innovation Day, due to be held on 24 February 2026 in Lagos, bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers.
Nigerian participation in EU research programmes
Cooperation on science, technology and innovation has been growing in recent years under a Joint EU–Nigeria Roadmap that followed the seventh EU–Nigeria Ministerial Meeting in 2020, the Commission said.
It said Nigerian organisations have been taking part in Horizon Europe — the EU’s main funding programme for research and innovation — with 55 projects involving Nigerian entities receiving grants so far.
Those projects include 65 participations by Nigerian organisations and have a budget of about €20 million, mainly in health, food, agriculture and the environment.
Nigeria is also involved in 12 projects under EDCTP3 — a programme supporting clinical trials and related research on global health challenges in partnership with countries including those in Africa — worth about €75 million in total, it said.
A total of 15 Nigeria-based organisations participate in those EDCTP3 projects and receive about €9 million.
The EU currently has bilateral Science and Technology Agreements with 20 countries worldwide, and with five African countries — Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia.
