Pictured: National Contact Points from the National Support Network team on a recent visit to Dublin City University where they participated in a Horizon Europe information event organised by John Judge and Amy Hall.
Horizon Europe Ireland - March update
A focus on the future
Ireland's preliminary position paper on the next EU Research & Innovation Framework Programme (FP10) was published this week setting out the country's priorities for FP10. This week also saw the endorsement of the Warsaw Declaration by all 27 EU Member States, demanding a bold budget to drive scientific progress, economic growth, and breakthrough innovations.
While discussion and debate continues regarding FP10 and the future competitiveness of Europe, we still have more than two and a half years remaining in the Horizon Europe programme. The National Support Network team is on the road over the next few weeks participating in events all around the country and highlighting Horizon Europe opportunities. If you have a relevant event coming up and would like more information from National Contact Points on upcoming work programmes, please get in touch.
Horizon Europe National Support Network meeting with research offices Given the busy schedule for the first quarter of 2025, our first National Support Network meeting with research offices will take place on Tuesday 13 May. A save the date has been issued and registration will open next week.
Success stories This month's EU project success story showcases the SATURN project which is coordinated by UCC at MaREI and is focused on understanding the sources, the impacts and developing solutions for underwater noise pollution which has serious consequences for marine life. Watch the video story.
New MSCA National Contact Point
We are very pleased to introduce you to Blanca Suarez-Bilbao who has recently joined the Horizon Europe National Support Network as a National Contact Point for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). Blanca is based at the Irish Universities Association and will be working closely with acting National Delegate Jane Carrigan. They are hosting an Irish MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships webinar at 11am on 26 March - registration link here.
National Support Network team updates In this month's newsletter, EIC National Delegate Daniela Angione has details on the EIC STEP Scale-up call. Our EU Liaision for R&I in Brussels, Kevin Flynn, summarises the common themes and recommendations in the Draghi, Letta and Heitor reports. Finally, International Technical Expert, Jean-Michel Portefaix examines France and Ireland's engagement in Horizon Europe and highlights significant collaborative projects involving the two countries.
Get in touch! You'll find contact details for National Delegates and National Contact Points across the Horizon Europe programme in this directory - please contact us with your queries.
National Support Network team updates
Daniela Angione,National Delegate & National Contact Point (NCP) for EIC (European Innovation Council) & EIE (European Innovation Ecosystem), Enterprise Ireland
The EIC STEP Scale-up call, represents a new ambitious scheme within the EIC Programme with a budget of €300 million in 2025 and a projected growth to €900 million over the period 2025-2027.
This initiative aims to provide larger investments in companies developing strategic technologies to bring them to the market and reduce strategic dependencies. Get the details in Daniela's article here.
Kevin Flynn,National Delegate and National Contact Point for WIDERA (Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area) and EU Liaison for R&I, Brussels, Enterprise Ireland
Three landmark policy documents developed for the EU Commission were released in 2024, providing comprehensive and detailed analyses and recommendations regarding Innovation and competitiveness in Europe.
In this summary report, Kevin outlines the common themes and overlapping recommendations in these documents which attempt to chart the course of European Innovation over the coming years.
France and Ireland share complementary strengths in research and innovation, with strong engagement in areas such as AI and quantum technologies, renewable energy, space and maritime industries, and AgriTech.
By combining expertise, research capabilities, and industrial leadership, the two countries are well-positioned to expand their collaboration within Horizon Europe, fostering ambitious, high-impact projects that drive European competitiveness and sustainability. International Technical Expert Jean-Michel Portefaix highlights some of the significant collaborative projects here.
SATURN is an EU-funded project researching solutions to the problem of underwater radiated noise caused by shipping and other vessels. This noise impacts marine life.
As part of our recent Horizon Europe Impact Conference, we visited MaREI where the project is led by Gerry Sutton from University College Cork.
The funding for the development of "SMARTHEAL" has been awarded to scientists from AMBER, the Research Ireland Centre based in Trinity College Dublin - full story here.
Ireland's first seaweed association, which is a spinout from the Horizon Europe -funded C-FAARER, has been launched to take advantage of the untapped potential of seaweed farming for the country. Read the full story here.
Louth-based Heart Rhythm Ireland is set to participate in a new €12m Horizon Europe project aimed at preventing cardiovascular disease. CARAMEL will focus on 40-60 year old women using AI to create a personal risk assessment and treatment. Full article here.
A survey of 200 women in Ireland and across Europe through the Horizon Europe FLIARA project has revealed a "staggering ethos" among them that aligns with farm sustainability.
Led by the University of Galway, the four-year wet farming project, Palus Demos, looks at sustainable agriculture and forestry on wet peatlands by combining land use and crop production with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Read more here.
Upcoming events:
Thu 20 Mar - Grant Agreement Preparation in Horizon Europe. Join here.
Tue 25 Mar - European Robotics Forum. Register here.
Wed 26 Mar - MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship Webinar. Register here.
Thu 27 Mar - Lump Sum Funding in Horizon Europe: How does it work? Join here.
Please feel free to share this newsletter with the Irish research community, your colleagues, companies and encourage them to sign up on our websitefor further updates.
