Key Takeaways

– Have you registered for INESC Brussels HUB Summer Meeting? Register here. On 15 June 2023, we’ll discuss “Knowledge valorisation: the role of research and technology infrastructures.”. This will be a dynamic and information-packed event with the participation of the heavyweight research and technology infrastructures around Europe, the European Commission and other relevant EU platforms. Check the agenda.
– The European Commission has launched new calls for Regional Innovation Valleys and the Digital Europe Programme also has new calls. 
– Last Monday, the Commission launched the Industry 5.0 Award dedicated to EU-funded projects whose results make European industry more human-centric, resilient and sustainable.
– The EC opened a call for experts for the Interim Evaluation of Horizon Europe.
– We have observed increasing investments in research and technology infrastructures across Europe as well as a trend towards renewed calls in defence R&D.
– As mirrored in this week’s newsletter, June is one of the busiest months in Brussels. Our agenda contains many info sessions regarding Horizon Europe, Digital Skills, conferences on Health and AgriResearch, and much more. Have a look!

Horizon Europe

Commission Expert Group on the Interim Evaluation of Horizon Europe

The EC opened a call for experts for the Interim Evaluation of Horizon Europe. The goal is to provide an independent, external perspective on the Framework Programme evaluation. The EG will draw up strategic recommendations on maximising the impact of EU Research and Innovation programmes in the future. The group will base its report on the Horizon Europe interim evaluation and Horizon 2020 ex-post evaluation findings and conclusions, and the results of a European foresight exercise for future Research and Innovation policy. More info here

Commission launches first €122M call to create regional innovation ecosystems

The European Commission has launched complementary calls for proposals under the  Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument and the European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE) part of Horizon Europe. In line with the New European Innovation Agenda, the Regional Innovation Valleys (RIVs) aim to create connected regional innovation valleys across the European Union (EU), involving regions with lower innovation performances, by building on strategic areas of regional strength and specialisation, in support of key EU priorities.  

The European Commission has dedicated EUR 122 million under Horizon Europe (European Innovation Ecosystems) and under the European Regional Development Fund (Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument).

The calls are open for applications from 17 May until 17 October 2023, 17:00 CET:

– Interconnected Innovation Ecosystems (2023.3) (HORIZON-EIE-2023-CONNECT-03-01)

– Interregional Innovation Investments Strand 1 (I3-2023-INV1)

– Interregional Innovation Investments Strand 2a (I3-2023-INV2a)

An online info session for potential applicants is scheduled on 25 May 2023, at 09:30-12:00 CET. A team of experts who will share insights about the policy background and the calls application process. Registrations are open on this page.

New calls for proposals for the Digital Europe Programme

Thank you to KOWI (European Liaison Office of the German Research Organisations) for highlighting this digest on the Digital Europe Programme (DEP). DEP pursues the goal of advancing the digital transformation of Europe, strengthening the related digital technologies and skills, and achieving a corresponding independence from non-European platforms or technologies. It will be implemented with €7.59 billion during its seven-year lifetime (2021-2027).

As part of the DEP main work programme for 2023-2024 (total budget: €909.5 million), the EC opened a new call for proposals on 11 May 2023. Three of the five main areas (“Specific Objectives”) foreseen in the Digital Europe Program are addressed here: 

• Specific Objective 2: “Cloud, Data and Artificial Intelligence”
• Specific Objective 4: “Advanced Digital Skills”
• Specific Objective 5: “Accelerating the best use of technologies”

The current calls for proposals will receive funding of over €122 million to cover the following subject areas: 

• projects related to the Network of Safer Internet Centers and the European Digital Media Observatory (€32 million);
• projects in the area of data, in particular to set up a European reference genome database within the “Genome for Europe” project (€31 million);
• projects in the area of cloud to edge infrastructure, in particular to support the Cloud Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) Exploitation Office (€25 million);
• projects in the area of Artificial Intelligence (€18 million);
• projects supporting advanced digital skills, including strengthening semiconductor skills (€16 million).

Companies, public administrations and other institutions from EU member states, EFTA/EEA countries and associated countries can participate in the calls currently opened. The submission deadline is 26 September 2023 and the European Commission is organising two info days on 2 June 2023 and 7 June 2023 with further details regarding the application.

See the DEP Work Programme and Calls

Research & Innovation

EU research commissioner Mariya Gabriel resigns

The European Union’s Commissioner for Research and Innovation Mariya Gabriel has resigned from her EU post as she takes on the challenge of forming a new Bulgarian coalition government. Gabriel’s portfolio will be handled by Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager and Vice President Margaritis Schinas, with Vestager overseeing innovation and research issues and Schinas taking care of education and cultural issues. Read more in this POLITICO.EU article. Science Business also provided a deeper analysis on the subject. Most EU university and funders associations consider this to be an unfortunate timing as 2024 is election year. It will be hard for any new Commissioner to firmly take the reigns. There is a new head of the DG Research and Innovation, Marc Lemaître, and, to top it all, during the next year, the Commission is expected to draft and publish the strategic plan for the second half of the EU’s €95.5 billion Horizon Europe research programme and set the outlines for the next seven-year research and education programmes due to kick off in 2028.

France to boost funding for health research infrastructures and the UK to invest £100M in improving RIs

According to Science Business, France is set to invest in four new ‘bioclusters’, 12 university hospital institutes and various research infrastructures, as part of its €1 billion health R&I boost. The new infrastructure will complement seven existing research programmes, seven university hospital institute, and one ‘biocluster,’ a network of various research organisations. France hopes the new investments, which are part of a €7.5 billion plan to transform the country’s health sector, will help attract high-level talent and translate science into innovation.

Commission takes European Innovation Council management under its wing

According to Science Business, the European Commission is set to have better oversight over the European Innovation Council (the EIC) after it moved the management of the innovation fund to its directorate for R&I, away from an executive agency. Up until today, the EIC was managed under EISMEA, the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, but parts of it will now be overseen directly by the Commission, with Keith Sequeira remaining in the top position as head of unit.

The move affects only parts of the EIC, with EISMEA retaining control over other the EIC equity fund, among other units. The change in management comes after months of rumours that the Commission is tightening its grip on the €10 billion start-up, which has had a rough start under the EU’s Horizon Europe research programme.

Here the new organisational charts for DG RTD and EISMEA.

Industry 5.0 Award: The contest is open for applications

Last Monday, the Commission launched the Industry 5.0 Award dedicated to EU-funded projects whose results make European industry more human-centric, resilient and sustainable. Eligible projects must have obtained funding from Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe or the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. The official start date of the project must be after 31 August 2018 and the projects’ progress to date, and results should have clear application in industry. The deadline for submission is 1 September 2023 – 17:00 CET (Brussels time). More info

AI Act moves ahead in EU Parliament with key committee vote

To the alarm of mostly-US industry, the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties and Internal Market committees have green-lighted the AI Act in a vote on 11 May, paving the way for plenary adoption in mid-June. According to Science|Business, the Parliament committees’ vote opens the next act in the drama. A plenary vote is scheduled for Parliament’s 12 to 15 June session, after which months of negotiation between Parliament, the EU Council and Commission will start. As stated by S|B, the industry’s biggest lobby group in Brussels, Digital Europe, issued a deliberately measured statement, saying the text “strikes a good balance but we will continue to work on the finer details (…). Great efforts should also be made to align with international partners, for example at the upcoming Trade and Technology Council meeting with the US.”. For more information about this topic, check the articles from Science|Business and Euractiv.

Defence industry renews call for R&D spending boost

As stated in Science|Business, the European defence industry is urging policymakers in Brussels and EU capitals to keep up the momentum generated by the war in Ukraine and continue investing in defence R&D. Read the full article

News from INESC institutes

Technology and Law: building a virtuous relationship, by Graça Barbosa

Graça Barbosa, Member of the Board of Directors of INESCTEC, wrote about the relationship between Technology and Law. Read the article

The 2022 INESC-ID AnnualReport is out

To read about their achievements, accomplishments, and the challenges their research environments faced throughout last year, you can download the 2022 Annual Report.

Exciting news from H2020-RESCUER

INOV, member of the project consortium, shared that a series of field tests have been conducted with incredible first responders. Their aim was to assess cognitive load by measuring various physiological variables during different tasks performed at the National Civil Protection School in the area of collapsed structures. Check out the captivating video highlighting the field tests. More info about the project

Launch of the New Horizon Europe Project SYCLOPS

Eight leading European organizations — among them INESC-ID — have joined forces, bringing together RISC-V and SYCL to demonstrate ground-breaking advances in the scalability of extreme data analytics via fully-open AI acceleration. SYCLOPS is composed of Accelom, CERN, Codasip, Codeplay Software EURECOM, Heidelberg University, HIRO-MicroDataCenters and INESC-ID. Read the consortium’s full press release.

INESC TEC supports the implementation of robotic technologies to reduce the ecological footprint

The main objective of the Vine & Wine Portugal Agenda, supported by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) is to promote energy transition and digital innovation, while generating added value through the Portuguese winemaking sector. Read full story

INESC TEC develops virtual reality app to support youngster looking for jobs

For two years, INESC TEC advanced the Life Skills VR project, through the development of a unique app that identifies the strengths and skills of those who are entering the labour market, guiding them to specific jobs. Read more

Job Opportunities

• INESC TEC has 18 vacancies in different work areas, such as Computer Science, Power Systems-Smart Grids, Distribution Models, and more. Find more at INESCTEC website and via LinkedIn
• INESC ID has 5 open positions. More info
• INESC MN is hiring a Junior Characterization Engineer, a Clean Room Process Engineer, and a Junior Researcher – Electrical Engineering. 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 the award of 1 scientific research fellowship (BI) for graduated students. More info

Events & Training workshops

• HUB Summer Meeting 2023 – Knowledge valorisation: the role of Research and Technology Infrastructures | 15 June 2023. We are delighted to announce the programme of the INESC Brussels HUB Summer Meeting 2023, organised in partnership with the RITIFI (Research Infrastructures and Technology Infrastructures for Impact) Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action. This will be a dynamic and information-packed event, with the participation of the heavyweight research and technology infrastructures around Europe, the European Commission and other relevant EU platforms. Visit the preliminary agenda here and register here until 9 June. Places are limited. Do not miss this opportunity to participate in the thematic discussion groups side by side with some of Europe’s most experienced research infrastructure managers and funders!
• 1st Science|Business Sector Day: Europe in the digital world, 22 and 23 May 2023. It will take place in Brussels (and partly online). DG Connect’s Deputy Director-General, Thomas Skordas will join to reflect on where Europe can realistically take a global lead in future digital technologies.  He joins MEP Brando Benifei, rapporteur for the AI Act, Werner Stengg, cabinet expert for COM EVP Margrethe Vestager, and Jeremy Rollison, senior director of EU government affairs at Microsoft, among the headline speakers driving the debate in Brussels. See the agenda. Each Network member is entitled to two free seats to attend the Sector Day in person. On Day 1, the plenary sessions will also be livestreamed, with no limit on the number of colleagues who wish to follow them online. Register here 

• Research in Europe with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Info session for Fulbright grantees, 23 May 2023, 15.00 (CEST), Online. More info
• International Negotiation Training Session, 24 May 2023. With Sandrina Antunes. Targets the staff that is most exposed to international negotiations, most notably (but not limited to) project and area managers and TEC4 Business Developers. Organised by the International Relations Service. 24 May 2023 14:00-18:00, Auditorium B, INESC TEC. Registration until 22 May
• Financial and Business Opportunities beyond Horizon Europe, 23 May 2023. An information event in Brussels organised by DG Research & Innovation to support the market uptake of new technologies and systems. More info
• Info session on Horizon Results Booster – steering research towards a strong societal impact, 24 May 2023, 10.00 – 12.30 CEST (BRUSSELS TIME), Online. Supported by the European Commission, Horizon Results Booster services are delivered to FP7, H2020, and HE projects at no cost. The free-of-charge services are provided by experts and cover several paths in Dissemination and Exploitation activities, notably Portfolio Dissemination and Exploitation, Business Plan Development, and Go to Market service. The info session will cover information about the services and include testimonials from those who have already benefited from Horizon Results Booster. Add the event to your calendar and check the draft agenda
• European Maritime Day 2023, 24 May 2023, 09:00 CEST – 25 May 2023, 18:00 CEST, Brest (France). The EMD is the place where ‘Ocean Leaders Meet’. It provides an inspiring framework to discuss the latest developments in the blue economy and the marine environment. Registration will end on 19 May 2023, 23:00 CEST. Read more and register
• Avoiding common errors in declaring other direct costs under H2020, 30 May 2023, 10.00 – 11.30 CEST (BRUSSELS TIME), Online. Add the event to your calendar and check the draft agenda
• EIT Digital | AI in Healthcare: Advancements & Ethical Considerations, 24 May 2023
  An online event that brings together industry leaders, researchers, and innovators to explore the latest advancements in AI and its impact on the healthcare industry, as well as the ethical considerations that arise with the use of AI in healthcare. More info and registration
• What makes co-creation work for transitions? 24-26 May 2023, Paris.The METI and the OECD organise a Joint Workshop. Registration and Agenda
• Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030” in Palermo, 30-31 May 2023.
  Register here
• EU AgriResearch Conference 2023, 31 May 2023, 13:30 CEST – 1 June 2023, 18:00 CEST. Brussels, Belgium. Live streaming available. This year’s edition will give participants the opportunity to engage with scientists, farmers, rural communities, industry, advisors, policymakers, citizens and NGO representatives. It will provide an overview of European research and innovation activities and their achievements in agriculture, forestry and rural development. Participants will also be invited to share their views on how to shape the future EU agricultural research and innovation agenda. Check the agenda and the detailed programme
• Horizon Europe info day – Cluster 1 Health, 01 June 2023, 09:00 (GMT+02:00). This info day aims to inform (potential) applicants about topics included in the Cluster 1 ‘Health’ work programme of 2024 and the open calls. More info and registration

• Info Day on Digital skills, 02 June 2023, Online
  This info session will cover the topics falling under objective 4 “Advanced Digital Skills”, aiming at filling the significant shortage of ICT sector specialists in the EU using advanced digital technologies, focusing on increasing the pool of pupils, in particular girls, who would ultimately be interested in studying STEM and ICT and/or embarking on a digital career. This objective has a total budget of €16 million that will be divided in two topics:

1. 1. Reinforcing Skills in semiconductors. The main aim is to define a platform among Vocational and Educational Training (VET) centres and to develop a European Semiconductors Skills Academy: a European network of higher education institutions and relevant industries, including start-ups and SMEs in microelectronics, to address the shortage of semiconductors specialists. More info
   2. Boosting Digital Skills of young pupils, in particular girls.The aim of this topic is to pilot actions to increase the number of students pursuing digital studies and careers, with a special focus on increasing participation of girls. The call will support joint actions between leading technical higher education institutions, businesses and schools to promote digital studies. More info & Registration link

• Digital Europe Programme Info day, 7 June, Online. HaDEA is organising a virtual info session on the 4th Call for proposals launched under the [Digital Europe Work Programme 2023-2024](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/activities/work-programmes-digital). Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the calls and join Q&A sessions. Link to join the session.The submission of applications for call for proposals is now open and will close on 26 September 2023.
• Horizon Europe Coordinators’ Day: Grant Management, 8 June 2023, 09.30 – 12.45 CEST (BRUSSELS TIME), Online. Read more and check the draft agenda.
• EU4Health Stakeholders Conference, 9 June, Hybrid. The European Commission will host an EU4Health hybrid conference, both in Brussels and online. The event will focus on important health priorities and will offer an opportunity to reflect on priorities, strategic orientations, and future work programmes. Register here
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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