Within the “Stakeholder Engagement Week” which was held from 31st of May to 4th of June, the European Commission organised a session on the Opportunities for AU-EU Cooperation in Horizon Europe.
In 2021, the European Union has launched Horizon Europe, the EU’s ninth Research and Innovation Framework Programme. With a budget of around €95 billion, Horizon Europe will offer significant opportunities for collaborative research between African and European partners, including in topics related to Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture.
The first set of calls under Horizon Europe is expected to be launched in the end of May 2021 and included in those are a large number of topics relevant for bi-regional cooperation.
Dr. Neinke Buisman (European Commission – DG RTD) provided participants with important information on Horizon Europe and how to engage in international collaboration within the programme. A particular focus was dedicated to the structure of the specific programme implementing Horizon Europe & EIT:
- Pillar 1: Excellent Science (Eu. Res. Council, Marie Curie, Research Infrastructures.)
- Pillar2: Global Challenges & European Industrial Competitiveness (Health, culture, digital, inclusive society…, Joint Research Centre)
- Pillar3: Innovative Europe (European Innovation Council, European Innovation Ecosystems, EIT)
The topics related to the EU- Africa R&I cooperation were shared, responding to four joint policy priorities:
- Public Health
- Green Transformation
- Innovation & Technology
- Capacities for Science
Read/download the presentation [.pdf | 2,2 MB]
Here is the recorded video | Courtesy of UniPID Finland – YouTube channel.