In today’s Morning Brief:

INESC Brussels Hub “The Insider” Podcast is out!

Starting the year off with new and interesting content, a series of nine podcasts, in collaboration with Science|Business are going to be released twice a week on our page.

The first one is out today, an interview with João Claro, CEO of INESC TEC to learn how this organisation approaches the challenge of managing deep tech innovation.

Click here to hear it and stay tuned to our social media pages to know when the next ones will be released!

Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium Conference 2022

It has never been more critical than today to address our global challenges. As part of an ongoing collaboration and a network building process, the TIP 2022 will be an open platform for networking, meeting and developing ideas on accelerating transformations.

By circulating the knowledge and empirical evidence of systems of transformation, the organisation of the event aims to build a Knowledge Infrastructure that supports TIP initiatives.

It will take place from January 17 to January 21 so make sure to access the page here and get your ticket!

Small non-coding RNA Bioinformatics Club

Don’t miss this virtual seminar on enhancer RNAs in cancer and MicroRNA in cancer tissue this January 10 with Han Liang on Monday January 10 at 15h00 (GMT).

Make sure to click here to access the zoom link to the conference!

What French MEPs expect from their country’s Council presidency

With France’s European Council Presidency beginning at the start of this year, the European Parliament gathered what French MEPs expect for the next six months.

The country says it will be working for a stronger and more sovereign Europe. It will also strive to convince Europeans that a common response is the best one to address the challenges that we are facing.

Make sure to click here to hear what Sylvie Guillaume, Marie-Pierre Vedrenne and many others have to say about the presidency. 

Horizon Impact Award 2022 contest open

The European Commission is launching a brand new edition of the Horizon Impact Award, a prize dedicated to EU-funded projects whose results have created societal impact across Europe and beyond. The prize acknowledges and rewards the most influential and impactful project results under Horizon 2020 (2014-2020), the EU research and innovation programme, and its predecessor, the 7th Framework Programme.

After the success of the pilot editions in 2019 and 2020, Horizon Impact Award 2022 returns with an increased monetary prize and more winners. The 2022 edition will now have six champions that will each receive €25 000.

Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel said: “We want to highlight the importance of ensuring that research, innovation and science translate into concrete benefits for the citizens and society. Horizon Impact Award puts the spotlight on projects and the people behind them that have contributed towards transformative impacts on the economy, society and policymaking – leading to advancements across different fields. I look forward to seeing many excellent examples of how EU-funded research contributes to shaping a better world”.

The contest is open for applications until 8 March 2022. The winners will be announced at a dedicated award ceremony in Brussels in 2022.

Read more here.

European Commission is looking for top experts to advise on EU Missions

The European Commission launched today a call for experts to join the five Mission Boards, with the role of advising on the implementation of the EU Missions. The five Mission Boards will have up to 15 independent top experts for each Mission.

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “This call for new Mission Boards members is the opportunity to take on new skills and bring together top experts to support the Missions. They will help inspire citizens and advise on the implementation plans. Together we will make our Missions a success”.

The main tasks of the new Mission Boards will be to promote the EU Missions by raising awareness of the citizens and advice on the actions of the Mission’s implementation plan. The Mission Boards resulting from this call for application will build on the work of the first phase Mission Boards (in charge until December 2021).

The Mission Boards advise on the full implementation of the five EU Missions working on: adaptation to Climate Change; Cancer; Restoring our Ocean and Waters; Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities; the Soil Deal for Europe.

The call for applications is available online. The deadline for applications is 02 February 2022, 17h00, CET. Find out more and how to apply here.

France opens access to quantum computing to researchers, start-ups

The French government launched a new programme to link quantum machines and supercomputers on Tuesday (4 January). The resources will have to be made available to researchers and companies to ensure France is up to speed with the technological revolutions to come.

The aim is to make this technology accessible to as many people as possible, including the scientific community and French and EU start-ups. The intent is to ensure France does not miss out on the major advances quantum computing could make in the decades to come.

The platform will be installed at the High-Performance Computing Centre at the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA).

Read more here.