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Today, the European Commission announced that the first 17 alliances of universities selected under the Erasmus+ programme will each receive a complementary EUR 2 million support from Horizon 2020. With this support, the European Universities will explore further integration and transformation in their research and innovation missions.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a global partnership created in 2017 to develop vaccines to prevent future epidemics, has launched a call to support the rapid development and global manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines. The EU will co-fund the call with €100 million.

Inclusiveness underpins the funding programme of Science with and for Society (Swafs) in Horizon 2020. The objective of this report is to convey the achievements of SwafS to serve as input for DG Research and Innovation to integrate science, society and citizens in Horizon Europe, both across the future framework programme and in the first Work programmes falling under the 'Strengthening the European Research Area' part.

The European Innovation Council has awarded over €307 million to 64 game-changing ‘green deal’ start-ups and SMEs contributing to the objectives of the European Green Deal Strategy and the Recovery Plan for Europe. Winning proposals range from innovative solutions for the automotive, aerospace and maritime sectors to advanced materials or Internet of Things technologies.

Twenty-one of the most talented and inspiring women entrepreneurs in Europe and beyond are in the shortlist for the EU Prize for Women Innovators 2020. The prize celebrates the outstanding achievements of female entrepreneurs running innovative companies and is funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme for research and innovation. This year’s finalists are pioneering game-changing innovations across a wide range of industries and help combat global challenges.

Eir Ventures, a Nordic Life Science Venture Fund, today announced a first close of its new Fund of EUR 76m. Eir Ventures will invest in innovative companies with products & technologies addressing significant unmet medical needs and with the potential to improve the life of patients. The fund is launched with, among other investors, a EUR 20m investment from the European Investment Fund, made possible with support from the European Fund for Strategic Investments and InnovFin Equity under H2020.

The European Innovation Council (EIC) Prize on Blockchains for Social Good has awarded €5 million to six winners selected in a call to identify scalable, deployable and high-impact blockchain solutions for societal challenges. The winning solutions propose blockchain applications for fair trade and circular economy, increasing transparency in production processes and quality information, improving accountability and contributing to financial inclusion and renewable energy.