Horizon Europe Policy Support Facility

Read on to discover highlights of two recently concluded PSF exercises, the Mutual Learning Exercise (MLE) on R&I Foresight and PSF Open Greece and find out about the newly published PSF Insights on Brain Circulation in Europe. This edition also features the latest reports of some ongoing exercises: the MLEs on Knowledge Valorisation, Industrial Decarbonisation and the Whole of Government Approach in research and innovation (R&I). 

The movement of high-skilled workers has increased in Europe. In our latest PSF Insights we explore the reasons why skilled workers choose to emigrate and the effects this can cause in their home regions, impacting the availability of skilled workers and economic growth. The article highlights the crucial role of R&I policy reforms for easing the negative effects of brain drain and ensuring that the best scientific talen contributes to sustainable development. It outlines with several examples how Policy Support Facility has helped countries in this endeaveour.

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The Mutual Learning Exercise (MLE) on R&I Foresight has reached its end. Eight countries took part in the exercise, sharing experiences and knowledge with the aim to build an impactful R&I Foresight community. R&I foresight is a creative way to explore new ideas, technologies and changes in society by building on collaboration. It has the potential to reshape the way we think about policy and governance, and helps governments to make better decisions based on an understanding of the possible futures. The range of country examples and contexts captured through the MLE highlights that R&I foresight can deliver crucial contributions in relation to many specific government and public sector initiatives, including those related to smart specialisation, missions, partnerships, and citizen engagement. The final report provides concrete recommendations aimed to encourage, inspire and facilitate the more systematic use of R&I foresight in a broader range of policy areas.

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Find out more about MLE on R&I Foresight

Independent experts from PSF Open Greece have come up with 19 actions to boost Greece's research infrastructures and open science. These actions are parts of the three implementation plans addressing some of the recommendations made by a PSF Country exercise (2021-2022) which evaluated the Greek research infrastructures’ policy. The plans cover designing a performance-based funding system, creating a framework for monitoring and evaluating national research infrastructures and improving research digitalisation and open science practices. Putting these plans into action will help Greece’s research and innovation system to become more attractive to highly skilled workers. It will also strengthen knowledge valorisation and the economic and societal impact of research infrastructures.

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Find out more about PSF Open Greece

Intermediaries help translate knowledge into products, services and processes that help society and the economy. Representatives from 12 countries gathered in Stockholm to discuss the role of intermediaries in knowledge valorisation, based on a Discussion paper prepared by the PSF experts. They talked about policy challenges, new approaches and models of intermediaries for knowledge valorisation. The PSF will publish conclusions from the September meeting in a thematic report.

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Find out more about MLE on Knowledge Valorisation

The first thematic report of the Mutual Learning Exercise on Industrial Decarbonisation gives an overview of the industrial decarbonisation roadmaps and strategies of the 12 participating countries. It provides key lessons learned from past roadmapping exercises, as foundations for further reflections in the next meetings. 

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Find out more about MLE on Industrial Decarbonisation

The MLE on the Whole-of-Government Approach has published a thematic report on how to better involve various parties in R&I policy. The report talks about how countries can include a wider set of stakeholders for example in the work of  high-level national research and innovation councils, and it discusses the impact government systems have on regions, cities and small and medium-sized businesses. The report also describes how citizens and civil society organisations can take part in R&I policy making. It looks at new methods, such as ‘design thinking’, to get stakeholders involved in making solutions to R&I policy problems. The thematic report is based on discussions held during a team visit to Bratislava, Slovakia in June 2023.

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Find out more about MLE on WGA

The European Commission and Member States are continuing to engage in enhanced dialogues. The kick-off with Austria took place in Vienna on 8 November and the one with Italy took place in Rome on 13 and 14 November. Discussions included topics such as transformative R&I for the green and digital transitions, the global approach and the R&I implications of the Economic Security Strategy and the role of universities in mission-oriented policy making. Additionally, a follow-up meeting took place with Latvia on 13th September to touch upon the reform of the higher education system and the challenges of Latvian innovation.

We are also looking forward to our exchanges with the Member States that expressed a concrete interest and we encourage the ones that did not come back to us to do so to start setting up a dialogue. The enhanced dialogues are for all Member States to discuss their R&I ecosystems and reforms in an open way and cover the topics they would like to discuss. It is also the opportunity to raise their R&I issues to the relevant colleagues in the European Commission.

Find out more on Enhaced Dialogues!

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The Horizon Europe PSF provides support for Member States and Associate Countries to design, implement and evaluate reforms that enhance the quality of R&I investment, policies and ecosystems.