In today’s Morning Brief:

Launch of the Ecosystem Services Valuation Database

On the 14^th October the Ecosystem Services Partnership launched the Ecosystem Services Valuation Database (ESVD), the largest publicly available database with over 4,000 standardised monetary values for all ecosystem services and all biomes on all continents.

This is a powerful tool that can be used for a wide range of applications to support the integration of ecosystem services in decision-making, including impact assessments of land-use change, risk assessments, and natural capital accounting.

Visit their website here.

European Green Deal Call Hits the Ground Running

On Wednesday 27 October, the European Commission is organising a kick-off event to celebrate the projects selected for funding under the Horizon 2020 European Green Deal call. This €1 billion call will fund projects that will contribute to the EU’s response to the climate crisis and help protect Europe’s unique ecosystems and biodiversity.

During the kick-off event on 27 October at 1pm CEST, Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth and her guests will present the political priorities of this call and explain how it will accelerate the achievement of the European Green Deal objectives.

Click here to find out more.

Candidates for EU women innovators prize announced

The European Commission has announced the names of 21 entrepreneurs that have been shortlisted for this year’s EU prize for women innovators.

The tenth edition of the prize aims to shed light on women innovators in Europe, where only 8% of companies are founded by all-women teams. This lack of diversity, the Commission notes, translates into low capital investments in female-led and managed companies, reducing women’s ability to bring innovations to the market.

Consult the list here!

Horizon Europe: EUA joins European Parliament in call for a stronger 2022 budget

In the context of the European Parliament plenary vote on the EU budget for 2022, EUA calls on the Council to revert the proposed cuts and support the full implementation of a future-oriented Horizon Europe.

This summer, the Council of the EU proposed to reduce the Commission’s proposal for the 2022 budget of the Horizon Europe programme by more than €300 million. This came as a major surprise for the sector, especially as the Council argued that the demand was not there for this amount of spending. However, the EU’s R&I framework programmes have consistently been known for critical underfunding, leading to low success rates.

The R&I community in Europe, with universities at its core, is ready to deliver the research for a sustainable future. To achieve the ambitious goals that have been set, it is crucial to have foresight. Rather than postponing or saving funding, it is time to recognise that now is the right time to invest in R&I in Europe.

Click here to read more.