PolSCA webinar series on Horizon Europe – Citizen Science: Policy and practicalities of engaging citizens in R&I

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.

Horizon Europe Navigators MeetUp: HE Novelties

Amendment for the Work Programme 2023-2025

In April 2024 the European Commission adopted an amendment to the Horizon Europe work program for 2023-25. The amendment means adding previously unallocated funds from Horizon Europe to increase its budget for calls in 2024 and to include new calls for proposals in 2025. Hence, the budget of the current work program has increased by nearly €1.4 billion to a total of €7.3 billion.

The largest injection of additional funding will be directed to the Missions, Teaming for Excellence and HE Pillar II calls in the Clusters: Health, Climate – Energy – Transportation and Food – Bioeconomy – Natural Resources – Agriculture – Environment.

The whole Work Programme for 2023-2025 is available here.

Address of the Presidents of National Academies of Sciences of the EU Member States

Science and innovation are the essence of the European Union’s freedom and resilience, its global competitiveness and its prosperity – with such an appeal to candidates in the 2024 European Parliament elections was made by the presidents of the national academies of sciences from all 27 European Union Member States.

The signatories of the letter highlighted four key demands common to the entire scientific community of the European Union – to ensure that the European Union is a world leader in science and innovation, to promote an open and free science system, to invest in science and education and to use up-to-date scientific knowledge in policy.

– Our letter is an expression of our wish to draw the attention of decision-makers and voters to the need to maintain the Community’s current position as a global leader in in the field of science and innovation – emphasises the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Professor Marek Konarzewski. – Increasing investments in science and technology sectors, thanks to which a united Europe will be able to meet the challenges of civilisation, are essential for this. In today’s world, we consider it necessary to promote an open and free system of science and to use the knowledge and competences derived from it to make key decisions for the EU, including for Poland – he points out.

In their joint appeal, the researchers point out that our continent is now at the forefront of global research and innovation, with researchers from EU countries involved in in research and development worldwide. However, they remind us that in a changing world, it would be naive to believe that the position of European science is unshakable. In this context, stressing the need for systemic investment in science, they call for member states, as well as the EU itself, to allocate the equivalent of at least 3% of their GDP to research and development. According to the signatories of the appeal, the new EU research and innovation framework programme should also be strengthened in budgetary terms.

The heads of the national academies of science also emphasise that one of the main strengths of European science is international cooperation and the free and open exchange of knowledge and the mobility of researchers and students that serves this.

Harnessing the results of scientists’ work requires the continuous implementation of scientific achievements into policy processes. – Future challenges – including climate change and biodiversity loss, international migration, food security, energy transition – are so complex and urgent that they cannot be addressed effectively without science and a trusting dialogue between science, policy, civil society and economic actors, the appeal also reads.

Searchable brochure available: Horizon Europe Collaboration Opportunities with Institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Are you interested in finding a partner for your Horizon Europe project? Are you searching for an expert in your field? Or you are aiming to build a consortium with a renowned Polish researcher?

The “Horizon Europe Collaboration Opportunities with Institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences” folder is now available, providing a comprehensive guide to potential collaborations with renowned research teams affiliated with various research institutes under the umbrella of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS). Discover your future Horizon Europe partner by scrolling below or download the folder. Utilize key words or browse through brief descriptions to identify a direct contact with a research leader keen on applying for calls within Horizon Europe.

IGLO in Action: Second IGLO Workshop on Lump Sum Funding Summary Report

Take a look at the summary report from the Second IGLO in Action Workshop on Lump Sum Funding collecting experiences of research managers in implementing the lump sum in Horizon Europe projects.

V4 Conference on Research Infrastructures

The conference, which will be held fully on-site in Brussels on 18 April, is entirely devoted to the European Research Infrastructures available and used in the V4 countries. The event is organized by four liaison offices: CZELO (CZ), SLORD (SK), NRDIO (HU) and PolSCA.

The conference offers networking opportunities and insightful discussions with experts from various sectors. The program includes presentations from RI representatives and panel discussions on establishment, sustainability, and the future of research infrastructures as well as suggestions for FP10.

Conference programme:
9:00 Registration
9:30 Keynote speech
9:45 Presentation of V4 Research Infrastructures
10:30 Coffee break
11:00 Panel 1: Examples of good practices, challenges and sustainability of RIs
12:00 Lunch break
13:30 Panel 2: Future trajectory of research infrastructures
14:30 Closing remarks

More details and the registration: V4 Conference on Research Infrastructure