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, Communications Officer
mariana.f.santos@inesctec.pt
In today's Morning Brief:
Editorial: Why are we doing this? The new Morning Brief
Unveiling the evolved Morning Brief: a deep dive into R&I’s future, exploring ‘why’ behind actions and their impacts. For a more in-depth look at this engaging initiative that promises to strengthen our understanding and dialogue around key themes in research and innovation, check out the full editorial here.
This week’s highlights
The Horizon Europe 2025-27 strategic plan focuses on advancing green and digital transitions, outlining key areas for research and innovation impact. Discover what’s new in the strategy.
New EC Communication on biotechnology and biomanufacturing launched this week including several initiatives to boost R&I in related areas, including a section on the use of AI and generative AI and access to HPC
Research and Technology Infrastructures: Dissecting the outcomes of the Access workshop and the expert group on Technology Infrastructures’ inception.
AI’s ethical frontier: Unpacking the guidelines on generative AI use and the genesis of the EU AI Office.
Defence and Cohesion’s dual path: Evaluating the tangible impacts of cohesion policy in Portugal and the evolving landscape of defence R&I.
Global collaborative ventures: An analysis of international cooperation efforts, including negotiations for associated membership of Horizon Europe and emerging rivals from the BRICS consortium.
The ripple effect of R&I: From the TTO circle’s influence to the dynamism of the EIC and ERC.
Join INESC Brussels HUB INESC TEC‘s strategic team as we seek a dynamic individual for Administrative Management and Executive Support in R&I Institution Representation. Apply now for a pivotal role in shaping the future of research and innovation.
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We invite you to engage, to reflect, and to join us in shaping the discourse that will define the future of research and innovation in Europe.
Check the full version of the newsletter below or directly on our website and do not hesitate to contact us:
Mariana Santos, Communications Officer – mariana.f.santos@inesctec.pt
Ricardo Migueis, Head of INESC Brussels HUB – ricardo.migueis@inesctec.pt
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INESC Highlights
INESC TEC researchers strengthen partnership with CENTRA network
INOV joined the Sustainable Stone by Portugal project partners to discuss the results achieved so far
The Sustainable Stone By Portugal has started in July 2022 and the consortium assembled to discuss the results achieved in WP2 – Digital Stone. The project’s agenda is a visionary initiative aimed at propelling the Portuguese Natural Stone Sector towards a sustainable, innovative, and globally competitive future. This ambitious project focuses on key pillars: the Green Agenda, Research and Development (R&D), Innovation, Decarbonization, Increased Added Value, and Export Growth. Learn more about the project here.
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Deep Dive: Call your neighbours. The path to energy self-sufficiency starts next door
1999. We live in an ecologically sustainable nation. Environment and humans live in perfect harmony, there is zero-tolerance pollution control and energy-efficient communities abound, with the active participation of citizens in decentralised solutions for energy production. Yes, you read that right: 1999. The visionary idea is by the writer Ernest Callenbach, in his novel Ecotopia, published in 1975. Continue reading here
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Thematic Areas
Advanced Computing
Our supercomputers: The EuroHPC JU has procured nine supercomputers, located across Europe.
Groq’s LPU: A Revolutionary Leap in Processing for High-Performance Computing and AI
Artificial Intelligence and Data Science
AI has a place in research, but not in evaluation of Horizon Europe proposals, Commission says
Small language models: A cheaper, greener route into AI
A comprehensive guide to modeling techniques in mixed-integer linear programming
Nobel Prize scientists on AI, democracy and critical thinking
Draft UN resolution on AI aims to make it ‘safe and trustworthy’
Bioengineering and Health Technologies
Building the future with nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU (New EC communication to the EP, Council, EESC and CoR, Published March 20)
Commission eyes Biotech Act to boost bloc’s life science sector
Medtech Clinical Investigation Toolkit
Electronic systems, Microelectronics and Optoelectronics
£35 million boost for British semiconductor scientists and businesses on international chip research
Power and Energy Systems
A New Surge in Power Use Is Threatening U.S. Climate Goals
Other areas
Commission wants to include research funding in the new defence industrial programme
Network of European Defence Fund National Focal Points (NFP)
EDIP (European Defence Industry Programme): The Future of Defence
Reinforcement of the European defence industry through common procurement (EDIRPA)
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Transversal Areas
Strategic planning, foresight and science4policy
Horizon Europe strategic plan 2025-2027 for research and innovation
What’s in the strategic plan for the final years of Horizon Europe?
Research and Technology Infrastructures
ESFRI Landscape Analysis approval at the 87th Forum Meeting (to be published in May)
First meeting of the EC expert group on Technology infrastructures
EC Workshop on Access Conditions to Research Infrastructures (all presentations and papers) (available only for INESC researchers in the private area of our website)
Knowledge valorisation
TTO circle survey: the role and impact of TTOs in Deeptech spinoff creation
The European Innovation Council Impact Report 2023: a €70 billion deep-tech portfolio
Upcoming report assesses the impact of the ERC’s first years of research
Report on the state of play of the new European innovation agenda
Finance & management
Cohesion and synergies
Seal of Excellence – a concrete example of synergies
Tools for place-based innovation transformations
What has cohesion policy done for Portugal?
Selected regions for technical assistance: talent booster programme (Norte)
International cooperation
Swiss entities can now apply to European Research Council calls of 2024
EU-Egypt Strategic Partnership and work towards accession to Horizon Europe
Signing of MoU on Enhanced Cooperation between the EU and the Faroe Islands
Inside the BRICS rival to Horizon Europe
Higher Education
European Degree label eases legal path to joint programmes
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Job Opportunities at INESC
– INESC Brussels HUB is hiring for Strategic Administrative Management and Executive Support in R&I Institution Representation. Learn more about this position and apply here.
– INESC TEC has 25 vacancies in different work areas, such as Mobile Robotics, Computer Science, and more. Find more at INESCTEC website and via LinkedIn
– INESC ID has 8 open positions (Research Grants). More info
– INOV is hiring an infrastructure manager and a processing engineer. More info
– INESC MN is seeking candidates for PhD in Industry. More info
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Events & Training
MARCH
– Online COST Info Day 2024, 27 March 2024, 10:00 – 11:30 CET. More info here.
– Free Live Webinar: Open Access in Horizon Europe, 27 March 2024, 10:30 – 11:30 CET. More info here.
APRIL
– 2024 CMU Portugal Mobility Opportunities for Visiting Faculty & Researchers and Students. The application deadline is 8 April, 2024. More info here.
– Connecting Europe Days, 2 April, 11:00 – 5 April, 12:30, Brussels. More info here.
– 4th Workshop on Neuroengineering: Brain-on-a-Chip Platforms. 4-5 April 2024. i3S – Institute of Research and Innovation in Health. More information here.
– Network Roundtable: “In our defence: How to integrate dual-use research into EU funding programmes?”, 16 April 2024, 14:00 – 16:45 CET, Brussels. More info here.
– MSCA Presidency conference: Researcher’s careers – multiple pathways, 18 – 19 April 2024, Mons, Belgium. Register here.
– Online Training Workshop on Remote Access for Electron Microscopy Training, 24 April 2024, 14:00 – 16:30 CET, Online. More info here.
– 2nd Mission Arena by Blue Mission BANOS, 25-26 April 2024, Riga, Latvia. More info here.
– 1st Online Training “make your data FAIR”: Open Science Awareness, 30 April 2024, 10:00 – 11:00 CET. More info here.
MAY
– European Cluster Conference 2024, 7-8 May 2024, Brussels. More info here.
– Assessing national current FAIR-enabling capabilities. 14 May 2024, 14:00 – 16:00, CEST. More info here.
– EARTO Annual Conference 2024, 14-16 May 2024, Warsaw, Poland. More info here.
– 12th EUropean Conference on Rare Diseases & Orphan Products, 15-16 May 2024, Brussels. More info here.
– The interTwing Digital Twin Engine: Discover the Environment Use Cases, 15 May 2024, 14:00 – 16:00 CET. More info here
– Instruct-ERIC Biennial Structural Biology Conference, 23-24 May 2024, Cascais, Portugal. More info here.
JUNE
– 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 here
– INDTECH 2024 Conference on Industrial Technologies, 3-5 June, Namur, Belgium. More info here
– European Sustainable Energy Week 2024, 11-13 June 2024, Brussels. More info here.
– Global approach: Is the EU’s international cooperation strategy working? Private Science Business Network workshop,
JULY
– Conference: IAMOT – International Association for Management of Technology 2024, 8-11 July 2024. Porto, Portugal. Organised by INESC TEC and FEUP. More info
-14th International Symposium on Communication Systems, Networks and Digital Signal Processing – CSNDSP 2024, 17-19 July 2024, 9:00 – 17:30, Rome, Italy. Register here.
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