Welcome to today’s Morning Brief. The Morning Brief newsletter is only available to INESC staff and affiliated researchers upon subscription (weekly or daily), after creating an account in the Private Area of the HUB website. To do so, click the log-in icon on the top-right corner of this website.

In this Morning Brief, we open with Gulbenkian Science Institute’s open calls for Group Leaders, a webinar on Horizon Europe and the gender dimension and a lot of focus on the issues surrounding electricity and renewable energies that have been concerning the European Union and its member states.

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:

Gulbenkian Science Institute opens calls for Group Leader

The Gulbenkian Science Institute (IGC) is a world-known international research institute that engages in ground-breaking research in the life sciences. IGC also has a strong history in innovative practices in training, outreach and fostering science in developing countries.

The IGC has opened two calls for group leaders:

Theoretical Science Across Biological Scales;

Experimental Science Across Biological Scales.

Both calls are open until March 1st, just click the links to apply!

 

Webinar: Horizon Europe – Quick guide to tackle gender dimension and cross-cutting issues

EMDESK is hosting a one hour seminar on 10 February at 14h00 CET to make sure attendees are ready for addressing the gender dimension and cross-cutting issues such as open science, social innovation and the role of SSH in Horizon Europe proposals.

Even if you can’t attend the webinar live, EMDESK will send out the recording of the session and other downloads to all registrants after the webinar, so make sure to click here to register.

 

Renewable energy on the rise: 37% of EU’s electricity

In 2020, renewable energy sources made up 37% of gross electricity consumption in the EU, up from 34% in the previous year with wind and hydropower accounting for the majority of the total electricity generated from renewable sources.

Among the EU Member states, more than 70% of electricity consumed in 2020 was generated from renewable sources. The generation of electricity from renewable sources was also high and accounted for more than half of the electricity consumed in Portugal, at 58%.

If you wish to look at the stats and more information on energy and renewable energy targets click here.

 

US launches measure to lure STEM talent from overseas

In a further move away from the Trump era, President Biden has announced a range of initiatives and visa tweaks to increase predictability and clarity for highly educated immigrants notes this Science|Business article.

These include a new initiative to facilitate researcher exchange and tweaks to visa rules to make entry into the country easier in order for experts to contribute to innovation and job creation efforts across the USA.

Read the statement by the Department of Homeland Security here.

 

EU invests over €1 billion in energy infrastructure in support of the Green Deal

EU countries have agreed on a Commission proposal to invest €1.037 billion in 5 cross-border infrastructure projects under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for trans-European energy networks. CEF will provide financial support to 4 projects for construction and 1 study.

Well-integrated energy infrastructure networks are necessary for the energy transition, as they facilitate the integration of renewable energy, enhance security of supply and help keep energy prices in check. The allocation of CEF funds therefore supports the implementation of the European Green Deal.

To find out more about CEF grants and their first call on preparatory studies for cross-border renewable projects click here.

 

Commission appoints members of the European Group in Science and New Technologies

Yesterday, the European Commission appointed the 15 members of the new European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE). The EGE advises on all aspects of Commission policies and legislation where ethical, societal and fundamental rights dimensions intersect with the development of science and new technologies.

The newly established group brings together top-tier experts from across Europe and the world. Its members have a far reaching understanding of current and emerging ethical developments and bring wealth of experience from academia, ethical and government advisory bodies. One of the new members is Maria do Céu Patrão Neves, former Portuguese MEP and current Professor at Georgetown University.

Find out more about the role of the group here.

 

Europe needs a strategy for seasonal energy balancing

In this new EURACTIV column, Nikos Tsafos, the James R. Schlesinger chair in energy and geopolitics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), notes that as the role of gas in the energy system evolves, the approach to meeting winter peak demand must also keep up.

The importance of seasonality in the current crisis is clear. Markets are obsessed with the amount of natural gas in storage. High gas prices resulted not from an actual shortage but from fear that Europe might not have enough gas to make it through the winter. Tsafos argues that someone needs to be responsible for supply security amid crisis.

To read the article 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

Read More »

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

Read More »

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

Read More »