The IGLO Open Event on the R&I Priorities of Polish Presidency – Summary of the event

The IGLO Open Event focused on the R&I Priorities of the Polish Presidency, held on January 22, 2025, in Brussels, showcased Poland’s strategic vision for research and innovation during its presidency of the Council of the EU. Featuring keynotes on AI in science, Horizon Europe evaluation, and the European Research Area, along with insights from Polish ERC laureates, the event emphasized collaboration, inclusivity, and bold approaches to Europe’s scientific challenges.

The event was organised under the patronage of the Minister for European Union Affairs during the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2025.

The IGLO Open Event on the R&I Priorities of Polish Presidency, organized by the  PolSCA Office of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Brussels, in collaboration with the NCBR/BSP Offices in Brussels and the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the European Union, took place on January 22, 2025. The event served as a crucial forum to showcase and discuss Poland’s strategic vision and priorities in Research and Innovation (R&I) during its presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Almost a hundred participants representing European Commission, permanent representations of Member states in Brussels, liaison offices working in R&I, university alliances and other stakeholders took part in the event.

The seminar began with an insightful presentation by Magdalena Kula, the Research Attaché at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the European Union. She emphasized that Europe’s two million researchers should be viewed as a significant advantage over competitors. She noted that R&I would be a common thread throughout various topics, with the presidency aiming to ensure that researchers are visible and heard in policy creation. Kula provided a comprehensive overview of the Polish Presidency’s agenda and its R&I priorities, namely: openness & inclusiveness, synergies and AI in science.

Regarding the rapidly evolving AI sector, the Polish research attaché mentioned: 

“There is an opportunity for Europe to empower and upskill our researchers to use AI tools and technologies, in order to increase the productivity of research and innovation efforts.” 

Poland plans to propose Council Conclusions on AI in science to this effect in the coming months, stressing that access to AI tools for research should be as democratic as possible not to exacerbate disparities within the scientific community.

Kula also addressed the ongoing work on interim evaluation of Horizon Europe that will serve as the evidence for discussing FP10, stating: “If you want to build a proper discussion on the future of the Framework Programme, we need those numbers [to be presented in the interim report]. We need to know what Horizon Europe has delivered, what worked, what didn’t work, and to build our discussion on the facts and data.” 

Another significant objective for the first half of the year will be the European Research Area policy agenda for 2025-27, to be adopted as a Council recommendation. Poland will also work on extending the Euratom programme for nuclear research and innovation beyond 2027.

Following the first panel, three Polish ERC laureates presented their research in different disciplines anchored to Polish Presidency priorities:

• Dr. Ewa Chrostek (Jagiellonian University) – health research;
• Dr. Krzysztof Fic (Poznań University of Technology) – energy storage;
• Dr. Rafał Kucharski (Jagiellonian University) – AI in urban mobility.

The presentations served as a starting point for the a lively panel discussion, moderated by Professor Leszek Kaczmarek, a member of the ERC Scientific Council and a prominent figure at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, PAS.

The panelists commented on how they tackle the leitmotiv of the Polish Presidency being it safety and /or security in their research. They also talked on where they find opportunities and threats in their respective fields. Dr. Kucharski discussed the transformative potential of AI in research, illustrating how AI technologies can accelerate scientific discovery and address complex societal issues. Dr. Fic emphasized the urgent need for innovative solutions in energy transition, highlighting the role of interdisciplinary research in developing sustainable energy systems and also the need for Europe to bypass the problem of scarcity of critical raw materials. Dr. Chrostek focused on health security, discussing recent advancements in biomedical research and the importance of international collaboration in prevention and containment of global health threats such as virus-borne diseases. During the Q&A session, she also stressed that “researchers are societal species, so it is essential to work together across Europe but also transversely through the different fields of science.”

When asked about important takeaways for the scientific community from a perspective of ERC grantees they all emphasised the need for cultural change that will accept more risk taking and room for failure as doing frontier science and making great leaps requires true creativity and decisions, all the other incremental science can be done by AI.

The event concluded with a light lunch, providing attendees with an opportunity to network and further discuss the topics covered. The IGLO Open Event successfully highlighted Poland’s strategic R&I priorities and fostered a collaborative environment for addressing Europe’s scientific challenges. The discussions and insights shared during the event underscored the importance of continued investment in research and innovation to drive progress and ensure a sustainable future for Europe.

Materials:

• Recap from the Event – PL / EN
• Magdalena Kula – Polish Presidency at the Council of EU.
• dr Rałał Kucharski – COeXISTENCE – What happens in the future when intelligent machines and humans share limited resources of urban mobility?
• dr Krzysztof Fic – (For Europe) Impossible is nothing.
• dr Ewa Chrostek – Mechano-Wolbachia – Uncovering the mechanisms of action of an antiviral bacterium.
• Agenda

Green Horizons Matchmaking: Building Partnerships for Sustainable Food Systems

Join us for the Cluster 6 Matchmaking Event, organized by the PolSCA Office of the Polish Academy of Sciences in collaboration with RTD liaison offices from Austria, France, Latvia, Spain, and Slovakia. This in-person event on 18th March 2025 in Brussels is your opportunity to connect with potential partners, share expertise, and build consortia for Horizon Europe’s 2025 Work Programme focused on biodiversity, sustainable farming, food systems, and climate resilience. 

PolSCA Office of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Brussels in collaboration with 5 other RTD liaison offices in Brussels representing together 6 members states i.e. Austria, France, Latvia, Spain, Slovakia and Poland are organizing a matchmaking event for those interested in the upcoming calls for projects to be published within  the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 under its Cluster 6. This event is dedicated to fostering collaboration within topics focusing on biodiversity, sustainable farming, food systems, plant and animal health, and climate resilience. 

The event will be held  in-person on 18th March 2025 in Brussels, Belgium. 

The person attending the brokerage event should be able to engage in merit-based discussions on the presented project ideas or expertise that can be contributed to the consortium. 

As the number of available spots is limited to 10 per country, we will select the participants based on the expression of interest provided in the e-mail to the organizers. 

Why Attend? 

• Meet potential partners from Austria, France, Latvia, Spain, Slovakia and more to form consortia. 

• Gain insights into the Horizon Europe calls and increase your chances of success. 

• Expand your network across sectors and disciplines. 

Who Should Attend? 

• Researchers and research institutes; 

• SMEs and startups active in the agri-food, biodiversity, and sustainability sectors; 

• Universities and other academic centres. 

Event Details 

• Time: 09:00 – 17:00 CET 

• Location: [Venue details to be confirmed], Brussels, Belgium 

For more details or to express your interest, please contact the PolSCA Office of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS) in Brussels at: izabela.maciejowska@polsca.pan.pl before 31^st January 2025. 

We look forward to seeing you at this event and working together toward a more sustainable, innovative, and resilient future for Europe. 

Brainstorming the Future of Brain Health – recap from the event and materials now available!

On 12th November 2024, the NCBR/BSP in Brussels hosted a pivotal event titled „Brainstorming the Future of BRAIN HEALTH: Research, Collaboration, Impact”. This event gathered almost 60 internationally renowned experts and guestes to explore new frontiers in brain health research, focusing on the expected impacts of the upcoming European Partnership for Brain Health.

(See more…)

16th Edition of V4 Training for Research Project Managers – Brussels, 4–6 November 2024

The 16th V4 Training for Research Project Managers took place in Brussels between 4-6th November. The event was targeted at experienced research project managers involved in international research projects, including Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.

This was the 16th edition of the training. So far there has been 487 participants, including 102 from Poland!

Joint Research Centre (JRC) Info Day Poland – materials from our event now available!

Open Humanities Manifesto – Join the Initiative!

President of the European Research Council (ERC), Professor Maria Leptin, in Warsaw

Invitation to the meeting

The Polish Academy of Sciences and the European Research Council are pleased to invite you to the ERC event to be held in Warsaw on 23 September 2024, on the occasion of the visit of the ERC President, Professor Maria Leptin.

FP10 position papers: the next Framework Programme for Research & Innovation

As we are in the middle of Horizon Europe, the biggest EU research and innovation programme so far, position papers on its successor, Framework Programme No. 10 (FP10), are starting to circulate around the EU bubble.

Take a look at what EU member countries, research organizations, and other stakeholders propose.

ALLEA Turns 30 and Elects New President: Paweł Rowiński of Institute of Geophysics PAS

The General Assembly of ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, convened in Berlin to commemorate its 30th anniversary and inaugurate a new president and board. Paweł Rowiński assumed the role of the organisation’s eighth president, taking over from Antonio Loprieno, who led ALLEA from 2018 onwards. Additionally, the assembly welcomed three young academies as new members thereby expanding ALLEA’s total membership to 59.

Berlin, 22 May 2024. Around 70 delegates from across Europe gathered in Berlin on 22 May for the 2024 ALLEA General Assembly, co-hosted by the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the Union of German Academies of Sciences and Humanities, and the German Young Academy. The event stood as a milestone in ALLEA’s history, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the organisation, as well as consolidating its legal status as a registered charitable organisation in Germany.

The meeting of representatives from more than 50 member academies marked the starting point for a new president and board for the term 2024-2027. Professor Paweł Rowiński of the Polish Academy of Sciences, who has served on the organisation’s board since 2018, will steer ALLEA as President for the next three years.

Professor Rowiński, an outstanding scholar specialising in Earth Sciences, previously held the position of Vice-President at the Polish Academy of Sciences from 2015 to 2022 and serves as the Director of the academy’s Institute of Geophysics in Warsaw. His research interests include mathematical methods in geophysics, geophysical flows, river hydrodynamics, and fluvial hydraulics. In addition to his notable contributions to his field of study, he actively engages in science advice, science popularisation, science ethics, and demonstrates a strong commitment to water and climate issues.

“ALLEA is a strong voice of European science on a global level and plays a crucial role in shaping the research ecosystem, promoting academic freedom, facilitating a green transition even in times of crises, and advising on the EU Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation. I am deeply honoured and grateful for the opportunity to serve ALLEA in the coming years. As international collaboration faces increasing challenges, cross-border cooperation among academies becomes more vital than ever. I am committed to working closely with all ALLEA members to ensure that the voice of the academies continues to be heard,” said Professor Rowiński about his upcoming presidency at ALLEA.

He succeeds Antonio Loprieno from the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, who has led ALLEA as President since 2018. Reflecting on his term, Professor Loprieno remarked, “It has been a privilege to serve the community of European academies in a critical, but also pivotal period of our institutional history: a time during which science has turned into a decisive player in social and political life in European societies; a time during which the voice of European scientific academies has become clearer, younger, and stronger. And it is particularly gratifying to see that ALLEA’s mission will be continued by very capable hands!”

ALLEA is the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, representing nearly 60 academies from across Europe. Since its foundation in 1994, ALLEA speaks out on behalf of its members on the European and international stages, promotes science as a global public good, and facilitates scientific collaboration across borders, disciplines, and generations. Jointly with its Member Academies, ALLEA works towards improving the conditions for research, providing the best independent and interdisciplinary science advice, and strengthening the role of science in society. In doing so, it channels the intellectual excellence and experience of European academies for the benefit of the research community, decision-makers and society at large. ALLEA is constituted as a not-for-profit association and remains fully independent from political, religious, commercial or ideological interests.

Text prepared based on ALLEA press release

Summary of V4 Conference on Research Infrastructures

The conference of the V4 liaison offices in Brussels on European Research Infrastructures took place on 18 April 2024. The objective of the event was to present examples of Research Infrastructures operating in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary and address some of the challenges that infrastructures face, such as funding and long term sustainability.