On the 21st of January, SPI presented a workshop on Horizon Europe at the Higher School of Health of the University of the Azores, in Ponta Delgada, organized by the Regional Secretariat for Culture, Science and Digital Transition of the Government of the Azores. The event attracted participants from various entities, such as staff from the University of the Azores, members of the Regional Secretariat for Culture, Science and Digital Transition, and companies.
The workshop was divided into 4 sessions:
Session 1: Introduction to Horizon Europe – introduced the objectives of Horizon Europe and its structure to participants (namely pillars, clusters, project types, and budget).
Session 2: How to participate in Horizon Europe – disseminated how to find opportunities on the Funding and Tenders portal, explored Work Programs and addressed issues related to establishing and participating in consortia. Additionally, SPI selected several potentially relevant opportunities for the Azores related to the topics of Widening Teaming and Twinning, especially important for countries considered to be less innovative such as Portugal, the Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions initiatives, and the following clusters: Climate, Energy and Mobility; Digital, Industry and Space; and Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment.
Session 3: Proposal Development: Format and Tips – focused on the factors to take into consideration regarding the proposal format, such as Part A and Part B, as well as the proposals’ sections on Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation. Finally, SPI shared its own tips regarding how to maximize proposals’ scores in terms of their Impact, something highly valued by the European Commission.
Session 4: Discussion and Q&A
Overall, the interactive workshop disseminated relevant opportunities for a better positioning of Portugal in the international R&D context. Horizon Europe will run until 2027, in various modalities and a budget of 95.5 billion Euros. Its aim is to keep the EU at the forefront of research and innovation at the global scale and to boost growth, trade and investment to ensure positive social and environmental impacts.