Pathways to synergies call for proposals is now open. This new Widening funding opportunity aims to unlock synergies between Horizon Europe/Horizon 2020, and ERDF, IPA (instrument for pre-accession assistance), RRF, INTERREG or similar funding instruments, strengthen innovation capacity and competitiveness of less performing regions and accelerate knowledge transfers and technological innovations. Deadline for applications is 28 September 2023.

ERA Fellowships build on the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 action and take place in a Widening country. They are provided to excellent researchers, of any nationality, undertaking cross-border mobility. Applications must be made jointly by the researcher together with a legal entity in the academic or non-academic sector, located in a Widening country. Applications must be submitted by 12 September 2023.

Submit your application by 28 September and unlock the Widening Twinning programme elevating networking for scientific excellence. The “Widening participation and spreading excellence” component of Horizon Europe contributes to building research and innovation capacity for countries lagging behind in terms of Research and Innovation, in line with the policy objectives of the European Research Area. Read more in our latest article covering the Twinning programme application process.

The European Commission organised an Info Day in December to inform potential applicants about the new topics included in the WIDERA work programme for 2023-2024. This included new calls for proposals on citizen science, open research and gender in research and innovation. The recordings are available online for those who missed the event or would like to re watch it.

In recognition of noteworthy strides towards gender equality carried out by academic and research organisations, the European Commission was delighted to announce the winners of the first EU Award for Gender Equality Champions. The award celebrated the implementation of Gender Equality Plans and raised awareness of addressing gender equality in research and innovation.

The Horizon Standardisation Booster supports EU research and innovation projects to valorise results through standardisation and address urgencies identified in the EU Strategy on Standardisation. If your project would like to contribute to the revision or creation of standards, then the EU-funded Booster Service can help guide you in the right direction.

Women remain acutely under-represented in scientific research and academia. By promoting the use of Gender Equality Plans, the EU-funded SUPERA project aimed to address the inequalities, stereotypes and discrimination that contribute to this shortfall. The project used GEPs to integrate gender into research and educational content. They were also an important tool for fighting gender biases and stereotypes across the research and innovation value chain, including creating safe research organisations free of gender-based violence and sexual and sexist harassment. GEPs are now an eligibility criterion for EU funding.

The newly launched COALESCE project ensures the effectiveness of and best practices for science communication through an experienced and well-connected consortium of scientists, journalists and university academics. It will demonstrate rapid mobilisation of science communications in times of crisis while fighting misinformation and engendering trust in science. An accessible library of critical resources, toolkits, handbooks and training opportunities to R&I actors across the ERA will be built up at the European Competence Centre for Science Communications.

The new “European Union Prize for Citizen Science”, which will be awarded for the first time in 2023, recognizes outstanding initiatives that put research, innovation, commitment and creativity at the service of Europe as a community. It received 336 applications since the start of the year, along with 215 applications for the Accelerator programme. A kick-starting grant co-organised by EU-funded IMPETUS4CS will give EUR 20,000 to new projects and a sustaining grant of EUR 10,000 to ongoing ones.

A solid understanding of science is an essential tool for citizens and society alike. This Cordis Results Pack on science communication showcases eight innovative projects building towards this goal. The results pack is available in multiple EU languages.

The European Commission offers various free-of-charge services to support your dissemination and exploitation activities. For example, the Open Research Europe platform is an open access, publishing platform for scientific papers for Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe beneficiaries.

Create clearer results, trigger new collaborations and raise citizen’s awareness about your EU-funded project. Enhance your communication strategy free of charge by checking out best practices, tricks and tips and do’s and don’ts around communication of project results in this factsheet. Communicating about your project is a legal obligation!

2023 is the European Year of Skills and REA needs experts! Selected experts are contracted for short-term assignments lasting anywhere from two days up to two weeks and can be spread out over several months.

Submitting a project proposal for research and innovation topics under Horizon Europe is a challenging task that requires careful planning, precise budgeting, and a seamless collaboration with partners. We have prepared some Dos and Don’ts to help you prepare a quality research and innovation project proposal.

European Universities are transnational alliances that spearhead future standards in academic best practices. This report illustrates how higher educational institutions in Europe with the support of H2020 funding, test innovative and structural models of collaboration. The aim is to integrate and transform their R&I agendas, inspiring institutional changes across Europe.

Citizen Science is when members of the general public - alongside professional scientists - contribute to scientific research. Every year, in April, Citizen Science month celebrates and encourages citizens to take an active role in scientific research and innovation projects. To mark the occasion, we selected four EU funded research projects that are actively contributing to the citizen science knowledge base through Horizon 2020 grants. Discover REA-managed projects YouCount, EnviroCitizen, ALLINTERACT, and JoinUs4Health.

The EU-funded 3-year project ‘Promoting organic through nudging: Strengthening the EU organic logo in Finland, Flanders, the Netherlands and Sweden’ seeks to boost organic retail sales and inspire food companies. The EU contribution to the project budget is € 3 624 401 and is part of the green transition to increase the percentage of organic farmland to 25% by 2030.

The public relations and communications association (PRCA) celebrates outstanding PR campaigns during the APAC Awards for teams and individuals across Asia. In recognition of the most outstanding PR campaigns and talent contribution to the industry, the PRCA APAC awarded the campaign ‘Colours by Europe Tastes of Excellence’ for its Consumer Award. The campaign brought European gastronomy to Thai tables, via social media and online activities and in-person experiences.

Market Entry Handbooks provide important guidance for EU exporters in the agri-food sector. The latest Handbooks now provide specific overviews of market entry opportunities available in Japan, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and UK. Discover all Handbooks available via the link below.

Visit the new data hub REA Promotion of Agricultural Products – Campaigns map that contains information about EU-funded agricultural projects. With ease, you can search for the promotion of agricultural projects via the following categories: programme type, participant role, proposing country, target countries, product sector, start year and budget.