How Europe funds research: from Horizon Europe to national agencies

Research in Europe is funded on two main levels. The first is national research agencies and councils, which provide most of the money. The second is the European Union’s shared framework programme, currently called Horizon Europe, which funds cross-border projects, excellent researchers and innovation. For Vietnamese students and researchers, understanding these two levels means knowing which doors are open.

This article explains principles rather than budgets or deadlines, which change with every call. Always check the official portals before making plans.

Why Europe needs a shared research fund

Each European country has its own research system, and many are very strong. But some problems are too big for any single country: climate change, pandemics, energy, food security and ageing populations. A shared fund lets teams from many countries pool knowledge, share equipment and avoid duplication.

A unified research area also makes it easier for scientists to move between countries, carrying ideas from one lab to another. Europe calls this the European Research Area.

What Horizon Europe includes

Horizon Europe is organised into several large pillars. Knowing the structure helps you see where you fit:

• Excellent science: frontier research proposed by scientists themselves, including the European Research Council and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.
• Global challenges and industrial competitiveness: large collaborative projects on health, climate, energy, digital technology and food, usually with partners from several countries.
• Innovative Europe: support for start-ups and tech companies bringing breakthrough ideas to market.
• Widening participation: helping countries and regions with weaker research capacity catch up.

The European Research Council: quality as the only criterion

The European Research Council, or ERC, is among the most respected funders in the scientific world. Its distinctive feature is that it sets no topics in advance. Researchers propose their own questions, and expert panels judge proposals on scientific quality and the track record of the lead researcher.

There are grants for different career stages, from researchers a few years past their PhD to established leaders. Nationality is not a condition; the condition is that the work is hosted in Europe or an associated country. Competition is fierce, which is why an ERC grant is a mark of distinction.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie: fellowships named after a migrant

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions are named after the scientist born in Poland who worked in France and won two Nobel Prizes. The name is fitting: the programme encourages researchers to move between countries and disciplines.

Common formats include doctoral networks that recruit PhD candidates into salaried positions, usually requiring applicants to move to a country where they have not lived for long; postdoctoral fellowships written jointly by a researcher and a host institution; and staff exchanges between teams. Many positions are open to all nationalities, which makes this the most relevant door for Vietnamese applicants.

The national level: where most money sits

Most research funding in Europe still comes from individual countries. Germany has major funding bodies and research institute networks, France has its national research centre, and the Netherlands, the Nordic countries, Switzerland and Austria all have national science funds. Many run their own schemes for international researchers, including PhD, postdoctoral and short-term exchange programmes.

National academic exchange services, such as those of Germany, France or the Netherlands, often have offices or representatives in Vietnam and are a good first place to ask.

PhD candidates as employees

Something that surprises many Vietnamese is that in several European countries, notably the Netherlands, the Nordic countries, Germany and Switzerland, PhD candidates are hired on employment contracts with salary, insurance and holidays. You apply for a specific project like a job, and interview with the team.

This reflects the view that research is professional work that deserves pay. In return, expectations for independence and progress are high. Elsewhere, scholarship or mixed models remain common, so read each vacancy carefully.

Open science: public money, public results

An increasingly important principle is that publicly funded research should be accessible. Horizon Europe projects generally must publish in open access and manage data so that it is findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. For researchers in Vietnam, this means more European results can be read for free.

How non-EU countries take part

Some countries outside the EU sign agreements to become associated countries, and their researchers participate almost like members. Others, including many Asian countries, can still join collaborative projects as partners, although funding eligibility differs. Rules change between programme periods, so read the current guidance.

Practical advice for Vietnamese researchers

1. Narrow down your field and read recent papers from European groups working in it.
2. Follow the EU research jobs portal and the vacancy pages of universities and institutes.
3. Prepare a clear academic CV and a motivation letter that explains specifically why you fit the project.
4. Write short, polite emails to group leaders when you have a concrete reason, never mass mailings.
5. Ask your current supervisors for introductions if they collaborate with European teams.
6. Check language requirements, researcher visas and residence permits on the destination country’s official websites.

Collaboration as a skill

European funding rewards people who can work across borders. Collaborative projects require partners to agree on goals, divide tasks, report progress and resolve disagreements politely. Researchers who communicate clearly, meet deadlines and share credit fairly are invited back again and again. For Vietnamese researchers, building these habits early, even within domestic projects, is as valuable as any technical skill.

Words of caution

Competition is intense, and most applications are rejected the first time. That is a feature of the system, not a personal failure. Be wary of services promising a guaranteed scholarship or research position: serious programmes select through open peer review, not through agents.

What is worth learning from Europe’s approach

What deserves admiration is not the size of the budget but the principles: selection by quality through peer review, respect for scientists’ freedom to set their own questions, encouragement of mobility and collaboration, and an obligation to share results. These principles work at any scale, including within a single university or a small foundation in Vietnam.

For a young Vietnamese researcher, the practical takeaway is encouraging. The European system is complex, but it is also transparent: calls are published, criteria are written down and evaluation is done by experts. Patience, a strong publication record and genuine fit with a project matter more than connections.

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