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In today’s Morning Brief, we bring you two fascinating events to sign-up for, one dedicated to the development and production of COVID-19 therapeutics and the other one on the role of supporting the sustainable transitions. We also focus on climate and technology related issues, and more!
Any comments or suggestions, hit me up with an email on teresa.carvalho@inesc.pt.
In today's Morning Brief:
In today’s Morning Brief:
Virtual event on the development and production of COVID-19 therapeutics
The European Commission wants to continue facilitating cooperation between actors in the EU supply chain to ensure that available therapeutics are produced in sufficient quantity as soon as possible.
Thus, on the 29 and 30 of November, the European Commission is organising the Second Virtual Matchmaking Event on COVID-19 Therapeutics in partnership with the CEBR, the ECA, and the ECCP.
The event will aim to accelerate:
– The development of new and repurposed medicines for COVID-19 therapeutics;
– The development of medicines used to treat the symptoms of COVID-19;
– The production of disposable materials (e.g. single use systems), ingredients and raw materials required for the manufacture of medicinal products.
It will also aim to mobilise the EU pharma manufacturing capacity for the production of medicines to treat and prevent COVID-19.
Register here, until the 18th of November.
OECD-EARTO Workshop on “The Role of Supporting the Sustainable Transitions”
The OECD Working Party on Innovation and technology (TIP) and EARTO are co-organising this online workshop on the 19th of November from 9h30 to 12h30 (CET).
The workshop’s results will feed into both organisation’s ongoing study on “the Funding of RTOs: New challenges and opportunities for supporting socio-economic recovery, resilience and transitions”, the OECD TIP’s project on “Supporting Co-creation in Collaborative Transitions: Exploring new tools and approaches” and the OECD CSTP cross-cutting project “Societies in times of crisis and beyond: developing responsive and resilient science and innovation systems”.
Don’t forget to register here!
France AI strategy shifts focus to talent
This Monday, France announced its AI plan to become a world leader in the area is entering a new phase focused on fostering talent.
The French government is going to invest €781 million in AI training and attracting international talent as part of the new €2 billion phase supported by both public and private financing. The Secretary of State for the Digital Transition, Cédric O, believes this will bring out “future AI champions”.
The country first announced its ambition to become an Artificial Intelligence leader in 2018. The first phase of the plan upped national and regional support for AI projects from €170 million in 2018 to more than €1 billion in 2021. Let’s see what this new phase will bring.
COP26 initiatives to accelerate Green Technology in the developing world
Enabling development countries to bypass fossil fuels and move directly to renewables is arguably one of the biggest technology transfer challenges the world has ever faced.
One scheme launched at COP26 is the $10 billion Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, which has backing from organisations including the Rockefeller Foundation, a string of development banks, the furniture store IKEA, and Jeff Bezos’s Earth Fund.
In much of the developed world, renewable technologies are now cost-effective against fossil fuels which helps forcing coal out of the market. Unfortunately, in poorer countries, renewables aren’t as competitive and poor logistics and supply chains mean the costs of installation are much higher.
Also unveiled were the “Glasgow Breakthroughs”, a series of agreements between countries to rapidly scale-up green technology in five areas: renewable power, road transport, steel, hydrogen, and agriculture.
The Glasgow Breakthrough statement promised to make near-zero emission steel the preferred choice in global markets and was signed by seven out of ten of the biggest steel producing countries.
One issue with this is the climate innovation competition amongst countries that doesn’t leave room for underdeveloped countries to adapt, generate employment and reduce emissions. The green transition could then be thrown off-course by social resistance.
If you want to read more about this, make sure to click here.
EU’s criteria for biofuels will hinder supply
The EU’s ‘restrictive’ approach to biofuels sustainability criteria will harm producers’ ability to meet increased demand for green fuels coming from the transport sector, says Henna Virkkunen, a Finnish lawmaker in the European Parliament.
Under EU proposals, biofuels derived from food-and-feed crops would not be eligible to meet green jet fuel targets.
“For sustainability reasons, first-generation biofuels such as feed and food crop-based biofuels, which have limited scalability potential and raise sustainability concerns, should not be supported,” states the ReFuelEU Aviation proposal, which aims to cut plane emissions.
Instead, sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) will be composed solely of advanced biofuels and electro-fuels.
To read more about this click here.
More Articles
26/05/2023: New Horizon Europe calls, a global drive for open science, European Commission DG RTD recent reorganisation, EU-China & much more
In today’s Morning Brief:
Horizon Europe
– Twinning call for proposals is open – Read all about it
– Horizon Europe ERA Fellowships call is now open
– EUR 20 million available for Pathways to synergies – Call for proposals
– New Horizon Europe funding opportunity: Dissemination & Exploitation Support Facility call
– Commission Open Call: Expert Group on the Interim Evaluation of Horizon Europe
– Industry 5.0 Award contest opens: apply by 1 September 2023
– Horizon Europe: The EU and the Republic of Korea launch formal negotiations on association to the programme
– European Space Agency chief seeks ‘forward-looking decisions’
Research & Innovation:
– EU research ministers make fresh call for a full transition to free open access publishing
– Open Science: stakeholders welcome European efforts towards publicly owned and not-for-profit scholarly communication
– Global drive for more open, rigorous research is growing
– European Commission sets up new European Innovation Council unit in the research directorate
– Spain wants EU presidency to be ‘bridge’ with Latin American R&D
– Green industry law haunted by old conflicts over nuclear, financing
– The five EU research projects involving China’s military-linked universities
– Critical Raw Materials: EU ministers want to move fast but dilemmas abound
– G7 ministers call for rules to improve research security
– Territorial Economic Data viewer supports policy monitoring
News from INESC institutes:
– INESC Brussels HUB is signing an Open Letter regarding changes to Who is Who in EC Directorate
– ECI Cruelty-free cosmetics – Consultation to adhere to joint final statement
– Structuring the ecosystem: RTOs collaboration with higher education institutions
– INESC TEC develops pioneering research in the application of variational quantum circuits to reinforcement learning
– INOV: MULTICAM prototypes, an online presentation on Blockchain and 5000 followers
– Job Opportunities
Events & Training workshops
19/05/2023: HUB Summer Meeting, Digital Europe Programme, Regional Innovation Valleys, European R&I funding and policy, and much more
In today’s Morning Brief:
Horizon Europe
– Commission Expert Group on the Interim Evaluation of Horizon Europe
– Commission launches first €122M call to create regional innovation ecosystems
– New calls for proposals of the Digital Europe Programme
Research & Innovation:
– EU research commissioner Mariya Gabriel resigns
– France to boost funding for health research infrastructures and UK to invest £100M in improving RIs
– Commission takes European Innovation Council management under its wing
– Industry 5.0 Award: The contest is open for applications
– AI Act moves ahead in EU Parliament with key committee vote
– Defence industry renews call for R&D spending boost
News from INESC institutes:
– Technology and Law: building a virtuous relationship, by Graça Barbosa
– The 2022 INESC-ID AnnualReport is out
– Exciting news from H2020-RESCUER
– Launch of the New Horizon Europe Project SYCLOPS
– INESC TEC supports the implementation of robotic technologies to reduce the ecological footprint
– INESC TEC develops virtual reality app to support youngster looking for jobs
– Job Opportunities
Events & Training workshops
05/05/2023: HE calls update, cohesion policy, open access, open science, cohesion policy and coordination of national and EU R&D policy.
In today’s Morning Brief:
Horizon Europe
– Horizon Europe – easy call and topic search
– From KOWI: MSCA: Model Working Contract for Doctoral Networks published
Research & Innovation:
– Report on the outcome of 2021-2027 cohesion policy programming
– Spain adopts national open access strategy
– Commission attempts to strengthen coordination between national R&D policies and EU research programs
– Commission Plans to launch a European Standardisation Panel survey
– Research funders draw attention to uneven implementation of open science
– EIT Climate to become financially sustainable by end of 2024
– Preparing for Belgium’s Thirteenth Presidency of the Council of the European Union
– African Union-European Union High Level Policy Dialogue – Science, Technology and Innovation. Senior official meet to endorse the AU-EU Innovation Agenda
News from INESC institutes:
– INESC MN has a new publication in Advanced Materials Journal
– INOV projects on Youtube
– Diogo Vaz published an article in Público
– Job Opportunities
Events & Training workshops