Key Takeaways

– DG RTD published an analysis laying the ground for the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan for 2025-2027. Lemaître stressed that “the capacity of research and innovation to shape a better future has never been more important”. At the same time, a new EC report says the Horizon Europe needed an extra €34 billion to fund all high-quality proposals received in 2021 to 2022.

– The EIC is migrating to the Electronic Submission System hosted on the Funding and tender opportunities portal. The Portal is available with immediate effect for future and on-going applications to the EIC Accelerator.

– Funding: The Commission launched the EIC Scale Up 100 initiative to support the growth of 100 Europe’s deep tech companies.

– Hilary Hanahoe, RDA´s director believes international scientific cooperation and open research data sharing should not be hindered by geopolitical challenges. The organization has been working for ten years to build a global infrastructure allowing researchers and innovators to openly share data, amid geopolitical tensions that are disrupting open science cooperation with China, Russia and other parts of the world. Nevertheless, the focus remains on setting the technical standards for sharing the research data held in these systems globally over the next five years.

– AI: With legislation to regulate AI lagging well behind advances in the capabilities of the technology, the European Commission wants to spearhead a joint initiative with the US to establish a code of conduct that companies would sign up to voluntarily. In the meanwhile, the European Union Agency for Cyber Security (ENISA) launched a report identifying needs for research on AI for cybersecurity and on securing AI. ENISA will make its contribution through the identification of five key research needs as proposals for future policy and funding initiatives at the level of the EU and Member States.

Horizon Europe

Marc Lemaître’s viewpoint on how to strengthen the impact of research and innovation during the next phase of Horizon Europe

The European Commission’s director general for research and innovation published an analysis laying the ground for the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan for 2025-2027.

“In the face of the challenges of the green and digital transition, the uncertainties caused by multiple crises and a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape, the capacity of research and innovation to shape a better future has never been more important”.

The new analysis of the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan for 2025-2027 will underpin the next phase. This analysis, draws on extensive collaboration and consultation and considers a diverse range of perspectives, including the results of a public consultation and citizen engagement. Full article here.

Horizon Europe was €34B short in first two years according to Commission’s new analysis

A new European Commission report says the EU’s €95.5 billion funding programme for research and innovation, Horizon Europe, needed an extra €34 billion to fund all high-quality proposals received in 2021 to 2022.

In total, 71% of high-quality proposals did not get funding, just a slight improvement on the previous framework programme, Horizon 2020, under which 74% of high-quality proposals did not get backed.

At the same time, there is a growing laundry list of challenges, from innovation to speed up the green and digital transitions, to helping the bloc secure strategic autonomy in the global technology race. More info.

EIC Accelerator – change in the application submission platform
The EIC is migrating to the Electronic Submission System hosted on the Funding and tender opportunities portal. The Portal is available with immediate effect for future and on-going applications to the EIC Accelerator. The current EIC Artificial Intelligence (AI) Platform for applying to the EIC Accelerator is not accessible anymore as of today, due to a contractual dispute. Consequently, as an emergency measure the EIC has restructured EIC Accelerator application forms on the Funding and tenders opportunities portal and will continue to improve them. To accommodate the change for applicants, the deadline for submissions for the 7 June 2023 cut-off has been delayed with two weeks until 21 June 2023 at 17.00. Read the full details here.

Portfolio analysis, EU mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030”

Analysis of a portfolio of projects financed by sixteen EU programmes contributing to the objectives and enablers of the mission ocean and waters. This report presents the results of the analysis of a portfolio of 841 EU projects – completed or ongoing – relevant to the EU Mission “Restore our Oceans and Waters by 2030”. These projects have been funded by 16 EU programmes in a period of 9 years between January 2014 and December 2022. The analysis has been performed by 12 independent experts. The findings of the analysis include: (1) An structured overview of the project’ portfolio in terms of their contribution to the objectives of the Mission, Green Deal targets, geographical areas, etc; (2) An overview of tangible results delivered by the projects’ portfolio and (3) Policy recommendations, including gaps and approaches to scale-up and roll-out solutions that would require further support at European level, as well as synergies. Download the report here. 
You can also find a very interesting dashboard with detailed statistical information on this subject on Qlik Sense´s site.

Scaling up with the European Innovation Council: launch of the new initiative to support Europe’s future deep tech champions
Commission launched the EIC Scale Up 100 initiative. Its goal is to identify, promote, and support the growth of 100 promising Europe’s deep tech companies with the potential to become ‘unicorns’ (exceeding €1 billion valuation). Those future deep tech champions will be selected among the top performing awardees of EIC financial schemes, other national and European innovation programmes and beyond. The action will engage selected companies in the EIC Scaling Club – a network of minimum 400 quality ecosystem players consisting of:
– 100 most active investors including venture capital, growth and government funds;
– 100 most relevant corporations with their innovation, venturing or development units;
– 100 agencies, clusters and media that promote scale-ups in Member States, regions or sectors;
– 100 independent mentors with experience and relationships at scale-up board level.
Read the full details here.

Showcase your research at the Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions Science-Policy pitch competition – now open!

MSCA fellows and alumni will have an opportunity to present to the scientific community their innovative ideas and projects bringing science closer to policy-making. The deadline for applications is 30 June. See conditions here.

Research & Innovation

Open data initiative to plough on with global agenda amid geopolitical tensions

As stated by Science|Business, the Research Data Alliance has been working for ten years to build a global infrastructure allowing researchers and innovators to openly share data. Now the goal is to widen its focus from setting the technical standards that allow IT systems to interoperate, to work on standards for sharing the research data held in these systems globally over the next five years, amid geopolitical tensions that are disrupting open science cooperation with China, Russia and other parts of the world. Hilary Hanahoe, RDA´s director believes international scientific cooperation and open research data sharing should not be hindered by geopolitical challenges. She said the war in Ukraine and rising tensions between the West and China are not an obstacle to advancing RDA’s goals. Read the full article here.

When artificial is beneficial

Much to the fishers’ dismay, fish populations in the Baltic Sea have been fluctuating and in the worst-case scenarios decreasing since the 1990s. The main objective of the reef project is to provide attractive fishing areas and to do thorough research on the feasibility and development of such areas. Thanks to EU funding, two artificial reefs were built in the Baltic Sea, and thanks to the good results, Fraunhofer Institute for Graphical Data Processing in Rostock will take over from the Landesforschungsanstalt to continue the maintenance and research in the the reef areas. Know more here.

Conference on deep tech and entrepreneurship held in Stockholm, on 1-2 June

Margrethe Vestager, the Executive Vice President of the European Commission for the Digital age headed her speech towards the new facing challenges for European innovation. “The New European Innovation Agenda, as we named it, is a comprehensive strategy to stimulate innovation across all sectors of the economy. We want to create a more supportive environment to unlock the potential of innovation in Europe, stimulate the development of new products and services, and new business models. We want to help European companies compete more effectively, and become leaders in key emerging technologies and markets. The New European Innovation Agenda is the result of an extensive consultation process”.

EU and US hatch a transatlantic plan to rein in ChatGPT

With legislation to regulate AI lagging well behind advances in the capabilities of the technology, the European Commission wants to spearhead a joint initiative with the US to establish a code of conduct that companies would sign up to voluntarily.

The proposal was put forward at the US/EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) meeting this week by Margrethe Vestager, European Commission executive vice president. “We’re talking about technology that develops by the month so what we have concluded here at this TTC is that we should take an initiative to get as many other countries on board on an AI code of conduct for businesses voluntarily to sign up,” Vestager said. More info on the Science Business website.

Call to encourage academic engagement with deep tech entrepreneurship

As a body representing more than 50 of Europe’s leading science and technology universities, CESAER wants to see EU institutions and local and national governments provide better support to scientists in commercialising their research.

For Europe to capitalise on deep tech entrepreneurship, there needs to be better engagement with science and technology universities, on a regional, national and European level, CESAER’s position paper says.

“Generally speaking, EU institutions don’t really promote the important role that science and technology universities play in deep tech innovation,” said Louise Drogoul, adviser for innovation and sustainability at CESAER.

“There is a lot of talk about involving universities, but in terms of advocacy power we’re not always considered equals to the market,” she said. More info.

Universities call for an Africa-EU science fund

Universities are calling on policymakers to pilot a science fund for research and innovation cooperation between the African Union and the EU.

The EU and African Union blocs are set to deepen their long-term R&I cooperation on 13 June with the signing of the AU-EU Innovation Agenda. A group of around 2,000 universities are calling for it to come with funding attached. The main goal is to accelerate talent circulation, help develop research infrastructures and foster the emergence of joint centres of excellence.

Universities want the ambition to be backed with dedicated funding, but this isn’t likely to materialise in the next few years, because the EU does not start its next budget cycle until 2028. However, the universities hope a joint fund could be trialed from 2023 onwards. More info.

EU’s lower rate of private sector R&D investment driven by structure of its economy

The EU is lagging behind its international competitors in terms of the proportion of private sector R&D, according to a European Commission analysis carried out to set the scene for the strategic plan for the Horizon Europe research programme from 2025 – 2027.

Part of the problem is the structure of the EU economy, which means most corporate R&D expenditure is not directed at sectors, such as ICT software and services and life sciences, which have high R&D intensity.

The biggest private sector investors in R&D in Europe, the automotive companies, account for almost one third of total investment. However, this is a medium-high R&D intensity sector. Meanwhile, US companies are investing a similar proportion in the high R&D intensity sector of ICT software and services, as shown in the graph above. Source: Science Business.

EU Industry Days 2023: Stakeholder sessions

The EU Industry Days 2023 is a collaborative effort between the EU and the stakeholders of European industry. They provide an opportunity for companies, entrepreneurs, organisations, national ministries, regional authorities and other industry stakeholders to organise their own sessions as part of the official EU Industry Days programme. The European Commission will select submitted proposals. The deadline to submit proposals is on 26 June 2023. More info

Call for experts: European Multi-Stakeholder Platform on ICT Standardisation

Advisory Expert Group on all matters related to European ICT Standardisation and its effective implementation:

              – Advise the Commission on its ICT Standardisation work programme;

              – Identify potential future ICT Standardisation needs;

              – Advise the Commission on possible standardisation mandates;

              – Advise the Commission on technical specifications in the field of ICT with regard to its referencing in public procurement and policies;

              – Advise the Commission on cooperation between standards developing organisations.

More info

Public Consultation: New framework for standard-essential patents (SEPs)

A patent that protects technology essential to a standard is called a standard-essential patent (SEP). Patent-holders commit to licence their SEPs to users of the standard on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions. However, some users have found that the system for licensing SEPs is not transparent, predictable or efficient. This initiative seeks to create a fair and balanced licensing framework and may combine legislative and non-legislative action. The consultation is open until 21 July 2023. More info

Public consultation: Revised framework for compulsory licensing of patents

EU countries currently regulate and implement the framework for compulsory licensing of patents in the EU using different, fragmented procedures. This means it is not efficient enough to tackle EU-wide crises. Also, the efficiency of the current EU procedure on compulsory licensing of patents for export to countries with public health problems (Regulation 816/2006) should be examined. This initiative aims to revise the framework so it is adequately prepared & coordinated to tackle future crises. The consultation is open until 21 July 2023. More info

Research manager recruitment hampered by lack of role clarity

According to Research Professional News, during the INORMS 2023, the conference of the International Network of Research management Societies, taking place in Durban, South Africa, between 30 May and 2 June. Even well-established research management offices struggle to attract and retain staff. The lack of clarity around, and understanding of, what research managers and administrators do is hampering recruitment and retention of research managers. Gem Brown, head of grant management in the Nuffield Department of Medicine at the University of Oxford in the UK, told the Inorms conference in Durban, South Africa, on 31 May that her unit manages grants worth around £200 million, but nevertheless struggles to recruit and retain RMAs. Recruiting new RMAs is one of the toughest parts of her role, Brown said. “The challenge is explaining what research management is,” even to professional recruiters, she explained. In addition, a lack of opportunities for professional development can lead to research management and administration being “a transitional role”, she said in the panel session focused on professionalisation, adding that her unit suffers from “high turnover”. To overcome these challenges, Brown said, she aims to recruit people with transferable and “soft” skills, such as a mindset that is well-suited to working as part of a team. She has also created an apprenticeship scheme as a way of developing new RMAs who have an inbuilt understanding of the profession. More info

EU Commission issues internal guidelines on ChatGPT, generative AI

According to Euractiv, the European Commission issued on Tuesday (30 May), internal guidelines for staff on using and interacting with online generative AI models, addressing their limitations and risks. Read more

OCEAN Season 5, Episode 5 – Critical infrastructure

OCEAN is a Euronews magazine in collaboration with the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MARE). It features monthly 8-minute videos, where we discover fascinating projects and developments related to the ocean and coastal communities. Watch the video here and pay particular attention to the role our critical infrastructure at INESC TEC (from minute 5.42 onwards).

The EU blue economy report 2023

In a new format, the sixth edition of the EU Blue Economy Report continues to analyse the scope and size of the Blue Economy in the European Union. Its main objective remains to provide support to policymakers and stakeholders in the quest for a sustainable development of oceans, coastal resources and, most notably, to the development and implementation of polices and initiatives under the European Green Deal in line with the new approach for a sustainable Blue Economy. Through its economic evidence, the Report also seeks to serve as a source of inspiration to investors. The sixth edition of the Report focuses on a summarised data analysis, trends and drivers of the Blue Economy established sectors (i.e., those that traditionally contribute to the Blue Economy), as well as of Blue Biotechnology and Ocean Energy. This edition includes a brief analysis as well on the impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on some of the Blue Economy sectors. The report also contains a section following the Energy transition communication, which comprises an analysis of the energy transition in the Blue Economy. It assesses GHG emissions taking into consideration different species, fishing techniques and their production phases. The report ends with a section analysing climate change and coastal impacts. This section summarises findings related to the future dynamics of coastal flood impacts, adaptation and ecosystem services, along the EU-27 coastline. Download it

The FAIR Cookbook – the essential resource for and by FAIR doers

The notion that data should be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable, according to the FAIR Principles, has become a global norm for good data stewardship and a prerequisite for reproducibility. Nowadays, FAIR guides data policy actions and professional practices in the public and private sectors. Despite such global endorsements, however, the FAIR Principles are aspirational, remaining elusive at best, and intimidating at worst. To address the lack of practical guidance, and help with capability gaps, we developed the FAIR Cookbook, an open, online resource of hands-on recipes for “FAIR doers” in the Life Sciences. Created by researchers and data managers professionals in academia, (bio)pharmaceutical companies and information service industries, the FAIR Cookbook covers the key steps in a FAIRification journey, the levels and indicators of FAIRness, the maturity model, the technologies, the tools and the standards available, as well as the skills required, and the challenges to achieve and improve data FAIRness. Part of the ELIXIR ecosystem, and recommended by funders, the FAIR Cookbook is open to contributions of new recipes. Read more

REPowerEU – one year on

REPowerEU is an EU programme aiming to promote energy saving, securing affordable energy supplies and diversifying energy supply. These documents present the REPowerEU plan progress one year after its launch (18 May 2022) and the data is related to the European Semester presented on 24 May 2023. Check them

Urban food system transformation in the context of Food 2030 – current practice and outlook towards 2030

This report on urban food system transformation reflects on the future of sustainable food systems in line with the priorities of the Food 2030 initiative. It seeks to share good practices and to serve as inspiration for other urban areas wishing to transform their food systems.

Fraunhofer president resigns amid allegations of misuse of funds

According to Science Business, after 11 years leading Germany’s biggest applied research organisation, Reimund Neugebauer leaves ‘by mutual agreement’. Karlsruhe president named to succeed him. Read more

Germany and Ireland to work together on hydrogen research

According to Science Business, Germany and Ireland today signed off  an agreement to kick off cooperation on green hydrogen research, including a pilot project exploring what a cross-border hydrogen value chain could look like. Both countries have high ambitions for green hydrogen, which is set to become a key part of EU’s energy mix as the economy transitions towards net-zero. Ireland hopes to become a green hydrogen exporter, using its surplus wind power to turn water into green hydrogen though electrolysis. Germany, a net importer of the gas, wants to ensure it can cover its needs with imported gas from Ireland and other countries, such as Namibia, with which it has signed a similar cooperation agreement. Read more

UK to boost tech and innovation ties with India

According to Euractiv, building on the ambitions for 2030 Roadmap for India-UK future relations, Lord Ahmad will meet senior Indian Ministers and officials, including Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, and G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant. Read more

Japan wants to privatise its Science Council

According to Nature, Ructions between Japan’s government and the Country’s Influential Science Council (SCJ) are causing concern among researchers. The government backed away from its plans to reform the council’s constitution and its process for appointing members, after the council and many Japanese researchers objected to them. But the government is now drawing fresh ire with a proposal to privatise the body. Read more

EU and US partner on cancer research with new task force

According to Research Professional News, the EU and US have launched a task force to bolster their collaboration on health topics including cancer research. Launched on 17 May, the EU-US Health Task Force will focus on cancer, global health threats and strengthening the global health architecture, with technical working groups being set up for each area, according to the European Commission and US Department of Health and Human Services. Read more

United States: updated roadmap to focus federal investments in AI research and development (R&D)

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is releasing a National AI R&D Strategic Plan — updated for the first time since 2019 — a roadmap that outlines key priorities and goals for federal investments in AI R&D. Developed by experts across the federal government and with public input, this plan makes clear that when it comes to AI, the federal government will invest in R&D that promotes responsible American innovation, serves the public good, protects people’s rights and safety, and upholds democratic values. It will help ensure continued U.S. leadership in the development and use of trustworthy AI systems.

United States: A new report on the risks and opportunities related to AI in education

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology is releasing a new report, “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Future of Teaching and Learning: Insights and Recommendations”, summarising the risks and opportunities related to AI in teaching, learning, research, and assessment. The report recognises that AI can enable new forms of interaction between educators and students, help educators address variability in learning, increase feedback loops, and support educators. It also underscores the risks associated with AI—including algorithmic bias—and the importance of trust, safety, and appropriate guardrails.

How the US debt-ceiling crisis could cost science for years to come

According to Nature, the US government could run out of money as early as next week if lawmakers in Washington DC fail to reach an agreement to increase the federal debt limit. If the worst happens, economists warn, it would be the first time in history that the government has defaulted on paying its loans, and it could throw the country — and possibly the world — into financial turmoil. Also hanging in the balance, as politicians haggle over government spending, is a decade of funding for research and innovation, and many science advocates fear that budget cuts are inevitable. Read more

Spanish Presidency starting on 1st July and snap national general elections to take place on July 23

According to POLITICO, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday called for snap elections to be held on July 23. Spain was due to hold general elections by the end of the year, but the Socialist leader announced his decision to move up the date following Sunday’s local elections, which saw his party suffer heavy losses across the country. The July 23 general election means that the vote will be held just three weeks after Spain takes over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. With the Socialist party polling six points behind the center-right Popular Party (PP), that scenario opens up the possibility that the rotating presidency may begin with Sánchez as prime minister but conclude with PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo as Spain’s head of government.

Beijing releases white paper for web3 innovation and development

According to The Block, Beijing, China’s capital city, reportedly released a white paper this morning aimed at promoting innovation and development of the web3 industry. Dubbed the “Web3 Innovation and Development White Paper (2023),” the document states that web3 technology is an “inevitable trend for future Internet industry development,” according to a report from local news outlet The Paper. The Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, also known as the Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Science Park, released the white paper at the Zhongguancun Forum. The commission aims to construct Beijing as a global innovation hub for the digital economy. To that end, the city’s Chaoyang district will spend at least 100 million yuan (around $14 million) every year until 2025, Yang Hongfu, director of the Zhongguancun Chaoyang Park management committee, reportedly said at the forum. Zhongguancun is often referred to as China’s Silicon Valley.

WHO Launches Global Infectious Disease Surveillance Network

The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN), a public health network to prevent and detect infectious disease threats before they become epidemics or pandemics. IPSN will rely on insights generated from pathogen genomics, which helps analyse the genetic material of viruses, bacteria, and other disease-causing micro-organisms to determine how they spread and how infectious or deadly they may be. Using these data, researchers can identify and track diseases to improve outbreak prevention, response, and treatments.

Open Science: Stakeholders welcome European efforts towards publicly owned and not-for-profit scholarly communication

Science Europe, the organisation representing major public organisations that fund or perform research in Europe, is leading the initiative.

For European public research and innovation actors, scholarly knowledge is a public good. Publicly funded research and its results should be immediately and openly available to all without barriers such as subscription fees or paywalls. This is essential in driving knowledge forward, promoting innovation and tackling social issues.

In a joint response, the signatories urge EU member states and institutions to continue their efforts towards a high-quality, transparent, open, trustworthy and equitable scholarly communication ecosystem, through stakeholder engagement, constructive dialogue with the public research and innovation sector, and with evidence-based reforms underpinned by the principles of open science.

Signatories include the European University Association (EUA), Science Europe, the Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER), the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA), among others. More info.

Commission and industry players commit to make the textile sector greener, more digital and competitive

Through eight building blocks, the transition pathway strategy published by the European Comission outlines around 50 actions, including the promotion of circular and sustainable practices, services and business models and the support for SMEs to innovate, accelerate the twin transition, and to grow internationally.

Europe seeks flourishing forests through restoration

Efforts to improve biodiversity in Europe’s woodlands will help them better withstand the stresses of climate change. A concrete example is the one of a vast sandy pine forest bordering the Atlantic Ocean in south-west France, where an innovation is taking root. A corner of the million hectares of towering maritime pines is part of an EU-funded project offering a new vision of reforestation.

The Aquitaine site in the SUPERB project is growing a “green shield” hedgerow made of broad-leaf shrubs and trees such as oak. The goal is to create habitats for communities of birds, animals and insects and to give scientists a chance to assess improvements in biodiversity. More info here.

The innovative EU research projects fighting plastic pollution

Scientists studying sand particles estimate there are five hundred times more microplastics on earth than stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

As the war on plastic became a reality, The European Commission under the EU Green Deal policy objectives and Horizon Europe research and innovation funding programme is supporting projects that take an innovative approach at tackling the growing problem of plastic pollution in the same vein and mirror the UN’s efforts.

These newborn projects are:

• Go Europe – Plastic Pirates – Empowering Citizen Science to Tackle Plastic Pollution
• BUDDIE-PACK – Market scale introduction of Reusable and refillable packaging (RRP)
• R3PACK – Sustainable packaging material in food retail
• AQUPLAST – New methodology to tackle eco-threat of microplastics and nanoplastic
• REMIPLASWAS – Inexpensive bio-based microplastics removal strategies
• NONTOX – Recycling contaminated plastic from industrial waste

Find more here.

Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Research – report by ENISA – European Union Agency for Cybersecurity

The aim of this study is to identify needs for research on AI for cybersecurity and on securing AI, as part of ENISA’s work in fulfilling its mandate under Article 11 of the Cybersecurity Act . This report is one of the outputs of this task. In it we present the results of the work carried out in 2021 and subsequently validated in 2022 and 2023 with stakeholders, experts and community members such as the ENISA AHWG on Artificial Intelligence . ENISA will make its contribution through the identification of five key research needs that will be shared and discussed with stakeholders as proposals for future policy and funding initiatives at the level of the EU and Member States. Download the report here.

New Agenda to strengthen EU’s partnership with Latin America and the Caribbean

The High Representative and the European Commission have adopted a Joint Communication setting out a New Agenda for Relations between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean. It proposes a stronger and modernised strategic partnership, through reinforced political engagement, boosting trade and investment, and building more sustainable, fair and inter-connected societies through Global Gateway investments.

Read the joint communication here.

Questions and answers here about this new agenda.

Read the factsheets on the New Agenda and on Trade between EU and Latin America and the Caribbean and

News from INESC institutes

EBRAINS announces that INESC TEC has joined the EBRAINS AISBL as an associate member.

The membership went into effect on 24 February 2023. It will give INESC TEC the opportunity to co-design future iterations of EBRAINS’ cutting-edge tools and services. These state-of-the-art capabilities – which cover data sharing, atlasing, modelling, simulation, high-performance computing, and neurorobotics – aim to help European researchers to address major challenges in brain health, benefiting from insights into data science, brain organization, and artificial intelligence gathered from the EU Flagship Human Brain Project. Know more about EBRAINS here.

Immersive learning: it’s not fiction, it’s the future.          

We started to meet, work, and attend training actions online, while becoming more technologically autonomous and influenced by innovation. Immersive environments (like virtual reality, but not exclusively) are no longer the subject of literary or cinema works. But there seems to be a certain degree of fear. Are we oblivious to reality? Are we going to lose our emotional connections? Read the full article here.

From 1985 to 2023: How to account for 38 years of INESC TEC

38 years have passed since INESC opened a delegation in Porto, thus initiating the path towards INESC TEC. INESC TEC’s Associate Director Artur Pimenta Alves wrote an article that guide us through time and reveals the difficulties and challenges faced. Read the article.

INESC-ID researchers and IST Professors Arlindo Oliveira and Isabel Trancoso on AI

In case you missed it live, now you can watch INESC-ID researchers Arlindo Oliveira and Isabel Trancoso discussing Artificial Intelligence at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Watch it here.

INOV: APPRAISE project team meet in Brussels

INOV members met in Brussels with APPRAISE partners for the first review.The project team was also present at the “EU forum for the Protection of Public Spaces”. Know more about APPRAISE

INESC TEC attends OCEANS23 in Limerick

INESC TEC researches involved in the project TEC4SEA Research Infrastructure delivered a presentation at the Sustainable #BlueEconomy session. Know more about Tec4sea

Job Opportunities

• INESC TEC has 17 vacancies in different work areas, such as Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Machine Learning, and more. Find more at INESCTEC website and via LinkedIn
• INESC ID has 5 open positions. More info
• INESC MN is hiring a Clean Room Process Engineer. More info
• INOV is hiring a Systems and Network Engineer and a Software Engineer (Full stack) More info
• INESC Coimbra has announced a call for a PhD position on Behavioral Operations Research and multi objective optimization in residential energy management systems. More info

Events & Training workshops

• Euro Nano Forum 2023, 11-13 June, Sweden. The Euro Nano Forum 2023 is a conference held every other year in the country currently holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union. This conference provides a forum for representatives from academia, industry and policy to engage in comprehensive discussions. This year it will be held in Sweden, from 11 to the 13 June, focusing on identifying policy options and priorities, and on planning future actions regarding European activities in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Advanced materials, innovation, sustainability, circular economy, and fossil-free energy will also be topics of strategic focus. Register here
• The Widening: Founding Group Meeting. 13 June 2023. 10:00 – 12:00 CET. Place TBC. A private Science|Business Widening hybrid workshop. More info
• Health-RI / EOSC-Life workshop: Bridging the gap between researchers and research infrastructures, 13-14 June 2023, Utrecht and Online. A hybrid workshop showcasing resources developed in European RIs (incl. EATRIS, BBMRI-ERIC and ELIXIR, get feedback on these resources from anticipated users, and bridge the (perceived) gap between RIs and the broader user community. Register here
• Info Days: Horizon Europe – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks 2023. 14 June 2023, 09:30 – 17:00 CEST, Online. This is an information event for the MSCA-DN-2023 call which will open on 30 May 2023.The event aims at informing all potential applicants and stakeholders about the important novelties for 2023 and promoting the ID and JD modes. The participants will have the opportunity to raise their questions through Slido, in advance of the event (as of 1 June 2023) and during the Q&A session at the end of the event. It will be an online event, which will be opened with a welcome address and some introductory remarks, followed by the main presentation of the DN-2023 call novelties. Register and download the programme
• Confidence in science: How to ensure sustainable and trustworthy channels of scientific information? 15 June 2023. Time & Place TBC. A Science|Business closed-door hybrid roundtable, organised in partnership with Elsevie, followed by networking drinks. By invitation only. More info
• 2nd Science and policy matchmaking event, 20 June 2023, 9.30-13.00 CEST, Online. The event will aim to bring researchers and policymakers together to discuss the opportunities that the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)provide for researchers to spend a short secondment or placement at a public administration body. The event is suited for potential applicants for MSCA postdoctoral fellowships looking for a secondment/placement host, as well as for potential project coordinators in the MSCA consortia looking for hosting partners in the public sector. More info
• CoARA General Assembly, 23 June 2023, Brussels. As stated in CoARA Governance Documents, the General Assembly represents all the member organisations of the CoARA and is the highest-level decision-making body of the Coalition. All member organisations are entitled to participate in the General Assembly.  Significant functions are assigned to the General Assembly: it is the General Assembly that elects a Chair and Steering Board members, it approves the overall strategy guiding the operations and activities of the Coalition as a whole, it approves the annual work plan and budget, and decides on the Coalition Secretariat. Decisions by the General Assembly require a quorum, where the number of CoARA member organisations present in person or by proxy is at least half (or the whole upper number nearest one half) of the CoARA member organisations.
• Transforming food systems. 27 & 28 June 2023, Riga. The Annual Event is EIT Food’s largest community gathering of the year, bringing together our valued EIT Food Partners and external agrifood stakeholders to showcase the value of the world’s largest and most dynamic food innovation community, demonstrating the power of its impact in addressing the most pressing challenges of our times. Registration. More info
• Horizon Europe: What next for the lump sum approach? 06 July 2023, 14:30 – 15:30 CET, Brussels. A private Science|Business Network Horizon Working Group meeting. More info
• 2nd Science|Business Sector Day: Green Deal & Climate – The road to net-zero industry. 18-19 September 2023, 14:00 – 12:30 CET, Brussels. Members only. More info
• The Widening: Founding Group Meeting. 10 October 2023 (TBC), 10:00 – 13:00 CET, Brussels. Members only. More info
• Making waves: Is international R&I bringing a true blue economy within reach? 12 October 2023, 14:00 – 16:45 CET, Brussels. Members only. More info
• 3rd Science|Business Sector Day: Health & Life Sciences – Future-proofing medicines. 13-14 November 2023. 14:00 – 12:30 CET, Brussels. By invitation only. More info
• Horizon Europe: FP10 and Preparing for the 2024 Annual Conference. 28 November 2023. 15:00 – 17:00 CET. Online. Members only. More info
• The Widening: 2023 Annual Conference. 06 December 2023 (TBC). 13:30 – 17:30 CET. Place TBA. Public event. More info
• Annual Network Conference. 06 February 2024. 09:00-17:30 CET. Brussels. Public event. More info
• 8th World Conference on Research Integrity, 2-5 June 2024, at Megaron Athens International Conference Centre (MAICC), Athens. Travel Grant applications open on 26 June 2023. More info
• Behave 2023, the 7^th European Conference on Behaviour and Energy Efficiency by the European Energy Network (EnR). 28-29 November. The event will take place in Maastricht, the Netherlands. The theme of this year’s conference will be ‘Scaling-up Behaviour Change in the light of the energy and climate crisis’. More info.
• The 18^th“Power and Energy Webinar Series”, June 19, 14h00, under the motto “Digital Twins and ML-based O&M Solutions for Photovoltaic Power Plants. Register on the initiative´s website.