Welcome to today’s Morning Brief. The Morning Brief  newsletter is available to INESC staff and affiliated researchers upon subscription, after creating an account in the Private Area of the HUB website, or those who wish to subscribe. To do so, click the log-in icon on the top-right corner of this website or go to the Morning Brief page and click the subscribe button.

 

Contact us:
Mariana Santos, INESC Brussels HUB Communications Officer
mariana.f.santos@inesctec.pt

In today's Morning Brief:

Key Takeaways

– New EU PPPs are to be approved by the end of 2023. Among the runner-ups with the highest potential are brain health, cultural heritage, textiles, forestry, advanced materials, and solar power. There is a must-read Science|Business article.

– The European Parliament and the European Council reached a political agreement on Chips Act. The Act will now be submitted for formal approval by the two co-legislators. Check below for a complete set of the most relevant EU links on this subject.

– Check out the list of Horizon Europe calls currently open on Agro, Food and Forestry, most with deadlines in 2024!

– Respondents to the public consultation on R&I that took place earlier this year named climate change, energy supply and biodiversity as top priorities for the second half of the EU research programme.

– EU Mission Soil launched its Manifesto highlighting its achievements and mobilising stakeholders to continue the work. Curiosity: the event took place in our building, in Rue du Luxembourg 3, while we were hosting, in our meeting room, the kick-off meeting of the project RITIFI – Research Infrastructures and Technology Infrastructures for Impact, one of the HUBs intelligence gathering strategic projects.

– Talking about intelligence gathering and strategic projects, we bring you first-hand the news that RITIFI and all its partner institutions agreed to collaborate and co-organise our Annual Summer Meeting on “Knowledge valorisation – the role of research and technology infrastructures”, taking place on 15th June, in Brussels. Save the date!

 

Horizon Europe

New Horizon Europe public-private partnerships are in the making

According to Science Business Horizon Europe is to have a new set of public-private partnerships starting in 2025, with candidates to be selected by the end of this year. The European Commission is compiling a list of potential new partnerships to be put forward for consideration by member states. The plan is reportedly that this happens in the first half of the summer. Unconfirmed reports suggest six potential new partnerships could be proposed, adding to the existing portfolio of 40 or so joint research and innovation programmes that see billions in investment each year. The Brussels rumour mill has been floating around topics for the upcoming partnerships ranging from materials to space. One leaked draft suggests brain health, cultural heritage, textiles, forestry, advanced materials and solar power could be on the list. Other rumoured options would see EU’s existing policy supported in the partnerships format, such as the New European Bauhaus and research infrastructures. Read the full article

 

The EU Mission Soil launches its Manifesto

Last Tuesday, our neighbours at Rue du Luxembourg 3, European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN), and the European Commission, held the launch event of the Mission Soil Manifesto. The launch event was a key milestone for the success of the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’. The Mission Soil Manifesto highlights the urgent need for action to protect soil health. It represents a key step for further local engagement by mobilising regions, municipalities, organisations, businesses, schools and other stakeholders, as well as citizens. All of them can now become part of a community that cares for and acts on soil health. During the launch event, participants were introduced to the Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’ (Mission Soil) and its Manifesto. In his video address, Commissioner Wojciechowski welcomed the Manifesto and underlined the unprecedented mobilisation behind the Mission Soil. In less than 2 years since its launch, Member States and Associated Countries have carried out a wide range of initiatives with a direct link to the Mission. Examples of local soil initiatives demonstrated the successful deployment of the Mission Soil across European regions and municipalities.

 

The ERC selects partner for its Science Journalism Initiative

The FRONTIERS project, which won an open call for proposals for a grant of €1.5 million, is set to run from 2023 to 2027. During this time, it plans to enable up to 40 science journalists to spend longer time with research teams working on their reporting ideas at institutions of their choice. Universities and research centres conducting frontier research in any field of knowledge will be able to participate in the programme. Read more

 

Shaping Europe’s Horizon and the top priorities of the next phase of Horizon Europe

The results of the largest-ever public consultation on the past, present and future of the European research and innovation programmes are in. Here, research commissioner Mariya Gabriel sets out the highlights. Also according to Science|Business analysis, respondents to the public consultation name climate change, energy supply and biodiversity as top priorities for the second half of the EU research programme.

 

Open calls in Agriculture, Food and Forestry

Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Civil Security for Society
Culture, creativity and inclusive society (HORIZON)

  • Onsite digital technologies to monitor nutrients and chemical or biological stressors in soil and plants with relevance for food safety and nutrition: HORIZON-MISS-2023-SOIL-01-03 | Deadline: 20 Sep 2023

Disaster-Resilient Societies (HORIZON)

  • Prevention, detection, response and mitigation of chemical, biological and radiological threats to agricultural production, feed and food processing, distribution and consumption: HORIZON-CL3-2024-DRS-01-01 | Deadline: 20 Nov 2024

Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Reforming and enhancing the European R&I System (HORIZON)

  • Testing and demonstrating transformative solutions increasing climate resilience of the agriculture and/or forestry sector: HORIZON-MISS-2023-CLIMA-01-01 | Deadline: 20 Sep 2023

 

Research & Innovation

Cyber: towards stronger EU capabilities for effective operational cooperation, solidarity, and resilience

This week, the Commission has adopted a proposal for the EU Cyber Solidarity Act to strengthen cybersecurity capacities in the EU. It will support detection and awareness of cybersecurity threats and incidents, bolster preparedness of critical entities, as well as reinforce solidarity, concerted crisis management and response capabilities across Member States. Read the full EC press release

 

Commission calls for massive boost in enabling digital education and providing digital skills

Also this week, the Commission adopted two proposals for a Council Recommendation in the context of the European Year of Skills, with the aim to support Member States and the education and training sector in providing high-quality, inclusive and accessible digital education and training to develop the digital skills of European citizens. The proposals address the two main common challenges jointly identified by the Commission and EU Member States: 1) the lack of a whole-of-government approach to digital education and training, and 2) difficulties in equipping people with the necessary digital skills. Read the full EC press release

 

Commission welcomes political agreement on the European Chips Act

The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the EU Member States on the European Chips Act, proposed by the Commission on 8 February 2022, including on the budget. Read the full EC press release and check the following links for more relevant related information:

It follows from this that €75M is to be diverted from Horizon Europe budget, as deal is reached on the Chips Act, according to Science Business. €325M for the €3.3B initiative to reboot semiconductor manufacturing in the EU will come from Digital Europe.

 

Summary report 2022 on the implementation of the European Structural and Investment Funds

Multiple crises have cropped up and accumulated in recent years: from the health crisis to the energy crisis brought about by the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the long-term climate change crisis. Both the EU Member States and the European Commission have been quick to adjust spending programmes to the new realities, demonstrating the agility of the funds to adapt and respond to unforeseen events and circumstances. The implementation of programmes is progressing well, with significant acceleration in spending in 2020 and 2021, showing a steady positive evolution.  The latest data on financial implementation from 30 September 2022 show the accelerating pace of implementation as the end of the programming cycle approaches. As one of the largest investment instruments under the EU budget, the ESI Funds support the territorial, economic, and social cohesion of Europe’s regions, as well as their resilience and recovery from the crisis faced in the past years. They comprise of:

  • the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF);
  • the European Social Fund (ESF);
  • the Cohesion Fund (CF);
  • the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and
  • the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

Download the report

 

EU member states set out to reform scientific publishing

Draft EU Council statement says high processing fees charged to authors are a growing problem as scientific publishing edges towards a free-to-read model. Member states want to ensure fairness and sustainability. Read more

 

AI technologies need closer political attention say MEPs in open

According to Science|Business, a group of 11 MEPs from across the political spectrum are calling on industry, researchers and decision-makers to pay more attention to the potential dangers of very powerful artificial intelligence.  In an open letter, the MEPs stated their intention to try to shape the EU’s AI act to make it “human-centric, safe and trustworthy”.  They also called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Joe Biden to convene a high-level summit with the goal of setting out principles on the governance of AI technologies. The MEPs cited an open letter by the Future of Life Institute, which has been signed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and tech business magnate Elon Musk, which called for a six-month moratorium on the training of advanced AI systems. While the MEPs distanced themselves from the more “alarmist” elements of this letter, they showed their support for what they called the letter’s core message, that the rapid development of AI requires close political attention. The European Commission set out its strategy on AI in 2021, which includes the development of an AI Act that it hopes will serve as a blueprint for coordinated global governance related to AI technologies. Read more

 

The ELIXIR innovation and industry programme

Interactions with industry have been a key part of ELIXIR since the infrastructure was launched in 2013. Nearly ten years on, we reflect on how the ELIXIR industry programme has evolved and its impact so far. As a publicly-funded infrastructure, ELIXIR develops, standardises and safeguards Europe’s valuable life science data and tools, all of which remain freely available to global users in both academia and industry. Our ultimate goal is to accelerate the understanding of life in a way that translates directly to public benefit, for example in healthcare, food security and the environment. For this to be realised, ELIXIR resources must also serve the needs of industry and accelerate not just research but also innovation. ELIXIR celebrated the 10 years of its programme with a stock-tacking analysis, which is both inspiring and an interesting read for all R&I institutional and infrastructure managers. Read more

 

News from INESC institutes

INESC TEC’s annual report

Last Friday, INESCTEC General Council held its meeting dedicated to the presentation of INESC TEC’s activity in 2022 and approved its annual report. Download it here

 

Inês Lynce discusses AI and ChatGPT in “Comunicações” magazine

In a piece titled À sombra de Frankenstein (In Frankenstein’s Shadow), Professor Lynce tells us what “tests” she initially put ChatGPT through and how she concluded that this chatbot was highly malleable in its replies. Read more

 

INESC TEC joins project to address the challenges of efficient computing

The UNIFY project, launched this month, aims to develop compiler technology within the scope of new computing architectures – which can be programmed from conventional, widely used programming languages. INESC TEC is one of the partners of this project that promises to create a unified response to the technological limitations of general-purpose processors (GPPs). Read more

 

Job Opportunities

  • INESC TEC has 19 vacancies in different work areas, such as Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, and more. Find more at INESCTEC website and via LinkedIn
  • INESC TEC will award 2 postdoctoral grants in the areas of Informatics, Computer Sciences and Applied Mathematics, aimed at foreign researchers. Applications and more info. Deadline: 30 April 2023
  • INESC ID has 4 Fellowship positions. More info
  • INESC MN is hiring a Junior Characterization Engineer and a Clean Room Process Engineer More info
  • INOV is hiring a Systems and Network Engineer and a Software Engineer (Full stack) More info

 

Events & Training workshops

  • Scarce resources: How can the world of R&D fix its talent shortage?
    A private Science|Business Network hybrid workshop. 25 April 2023 (14:00 – 16:45 CET). More information
  • EU Knowledge Valorisation Week
    This is the European forum to exchange experiences and discover novel approaches of creating value from scientific findings and inventions. 25 – 28 April 2023. Register here
  • EARTO Webinar on Security & Defence
    26 April 2023. 11.00-12.00 (CET). Register here
  • Webinar: Implementation of co-funded European Partnerships
    27 April 2023. DG Research & Innovation, in collaboration with ERA-LEARN will offer a webinar to focus on the use of in-kind contribution or the involvement of Research Performing Organisations (RPOs). The webinar is targeted to coordinators and beneficiaries of co-funded European Partnerships. More info
  • Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030” in Palermo
    30-31 May 2023. Register here
  • EARTO Webinar on Healthcare R&I Position Paper
    EARTO Working Group Emerging Technologies for Healthcare Core Team. 4 May 2023. 10:00-11:00 (CET). Register here
  • Teaming for success: How to capitalise on centres of excellence in Widening countries?
    A hybrid Science|Business Widening roundtable. 16 May 2023 (9:00 -14:00 CET). By invitation only for in-person attendance. Public online attendance. More info and applications
  • Financial and Business Opportunities beyond Horizon Europe
    An information event in Brussels organised by DG Research & Innovation to support the market uptake of new technologies and systems. 23 May 2023. More info
  • Advanced course on biomedical imaging organised by the the UT Austin Portugal Program and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra
    27 April – 2 June 2023. Register by 21 April. More info
  • What makes co-creation work for transitions?
    The METI and the OECD organise a Joint Workshop. 24-26 May 2023, Paris. Registration and Agenda
  • 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
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