In today’s Morning Brief:

Call for applications: Evidence for Policy Course

The European Commission is opening the second round of their Training-of-Trainers (ToT) programme for researchers and facilitators from EU countries.

Participants completing the ToT will help researchers in EU countries have impact on policy.

Candidates are required to apply in pairs. You can find more information about the terms of reference here.

You can apply here until the 20th of February of next year and the successful candidates will be informed in April/May.

EUMOFA online talk: Impact of new aquaculture technologies

After the recent release of studies on integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA) will hold the online talk “Impact of new aquaculture technologies: growth potential in the EU market”, on 7 December 2021 from 10.00 a.m. to 11.45 a.m. (CET).

With a point of departure in the two studies, the talk will address the market impact of innovative aquaculture-related techniques and technologies. The event will draw on external experts to summarize the current situation on the ground and explore the perspectives offered by both sectors.

Speakers include:

• Birgit Van Tongelen, European Commission/Directorate-General for Maritime and Fisheries (DG MARE)
• Frank Kane, IMTA expert, Marine Institute (Ireland)
• Jacob Bregnballe, RAS expert, AKVA group (Denmark)

The event will be held in English and moderated by:

• Maren Bøe, EUMOFA team

The event will be held via Zoom and you can register here.

European Commission opens Erasmus+ calls for 2022

Students and academics can now apply for the EU’s 2022 round of academic exchange programme worth €3.8 billion, the European Commission has announced.

The Erasmus+ programme will enable students and university staff to go abroad to study and learn new skills. “We want to give the opportunity to a greater number of people to take part and benefit from what Erasmus+ has to offer,” said Mariya Gabriel, EU commissioner for innovation, research, culture, education and youth.

In addition to the general call, the 2022 Erasmus+ work programme also includes other actions to be launched separately, such as the European Universities initiative.

You can find more information here.

European Innovation Council Forum launched at Brussels Summit

The European Innovation Council (EIC) has launched a forum to bring together policymakers, researchers and entrepreneurs involved in innovation, with officials warning that Europe needs more investment in research and innovation.

It is intended to foster the informal discussion of policy issues in the European innovation space. Speaking at the summit’s opening on Wednesday, EU digital chief Margrethe Vestager said the EIC was aiming to supply “venture capital-style investments straight into the equity of startups.”

Manuel Heitor, Portuguese minister for science, technology and higher education, told the summit, however, that the last 20 years have seen a “quasi-stagnant level of investment in research and innovation in Europe”. “Addressing the issues of years to come will require investment in research and innovation.”

The forum will foster dialogue between actors, from academics to those working in the market, on the issues affecting innovation in Europe and will act as an arena for devising and coordinating potential responses, including how to better link research, education and business.

Make sure to read more about it here.

The 2021 State of the Energy Union Report

Yesterday, Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson presented the State of the Energy Union report to the European Parliament. Adopted on 26 October 2021, the report looks back at a number of significant steps towards delivering the European Green Deal, which happened in the course of last year.

This report highlights the EU as a global frontrunner when it comes to clean energy research so make sure to check out the report here.