Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed the bill on the ratification of the agreement between Ukraine and the EU on Ukraine's participation in the Horizon 2020 Framework Program for Research and Technological Development (2014-2020).

The agreement was signed on March 20, the presidential press service has reported.

According to this agreement, Ukraine joins the Horizon 2020 program as an associate member which gives Ukrainian education and research institutions the same access to EU funds as those in EU member states. The total budget of Horizon 2020 program for 2014-2020 is EUR 80 billion.

The president also signed the bill on the ratification of the agreement between Ukraine and the European Union to renew the agreement on the EU-Ukraine research and technological cooperation, which was ratified by the Verkhovna Rada on July 15, 2015.

The agreement was signed in Brussels on March 3, 2015. The document envisages the establishment of conditions for the efficient use of research and technical potential and intellectual property rights protection.