A key feature of the current EU multiannual financial framework (2021-2027) is the achievement of synergies across EU policies and across its funding programmes. Addressing EU Policy priorities through R&I is an impact pathway specifically called out in Horizon Europe. However, the EU policy landscape is a very complex one which many struggle to understand. Nonetheless, many of the EU high level policies and priorities have increased relevance for Horizon Europe, helping to sculpt the overall programme as well as the work programmes with the expectation that the collective outcomes of projects will result in discernible impact for implementation of those policies.

The proposed session will delve into the landscape of such policies which include the EU industrial strategy, the EU Green Deal, the New Bauhaus Initiative, the European Digital Action plan, the European Research Area and others. Some of the relevant policies will be highlighted following which there will be a panel discussion with external speakers who will then debate the role that Horizon Europe can play in helping to deliver these policy priorities. Can Horizon Europe really deliver across such a broad domain.  What are the obstacles and challenges that Horizon Europe faces in that regard? What are the benefits in taking this approach and what else needs to be in place for successful delivery? What other factors need to be in place for Horizon Europe to be successful in this approach and what else needs to be in place?

The intended outcome of the session is to increase familiarity with EU High level policies leading to a better appreciation as to how Horizon Europe can successfully contribute to their delivery. This knowledge can in turn aid the development of successful Horizon Europe proposals and projects. 

Panelists include Julien Guerrier, Silvia Gomez Recio, Doris Alexander and Borbala Schenk - with a video from Christian Ehler. 
Facolitator: Dipti Pandya 
 

Panelists

Julien Guerrier - Director of the Common Policy Centre for the EU funding programme for Research and Innovation, HORIZON EUROPE

Julien Guerrier has been working for more than 25 years at the European Commission, mainly on industrial and research policy, international trade negotiations and corporate management issues. He is currently the Director of the Common Policy Centre for the EU funding programme for Research and Innovation, HORIZON EUROPE. Previously, he was heading the European Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, which was managing the COSME Programme for the competitiveness of SMEs, parts of HORIZON such as the pilot European Innovation Council, the LIFE Programme and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.
 

Silvia Gomez Recio - Secretary General, YERUN (Young European Research Universities)

Silvia is the first Secretary General of YERUN since October 2016, when the network opened its Brussels office. She is responsible for the strategic leadership, networking actions and the implementation of the network’s strategy. The Young European Research University Network (YERUN) is a group of like-minded young research universities in Europe that strengthens and facilitates cooperation in areas of research, education and services to society. At present, YERUN includes 22 member universities. 
 

Doris Alexander, BA, MSc – Associate Director of European Engagement, Trinity College Dublin

Doris established Trinity College’s Research Development Office in 1994 and together with previous researcher experience, has a history of interaction with the EC Research Framework Programme (both policy and project level) dating back to Framework 2. Coupled with experiences from other EU programmes, Doris is an EU policy and strategy expert who drove the successful development and implementation of the University’s first in-depth Research Diversification Strategy. Doris took up post as the Associate Director of European Engagement in 2019 and is responsible for the development of strategies of engagement with the Horizon Europe and Erasmus Programmes, advising the Provost/President around European policy and funding and working to get early insight on new EU initiatives so as to maximise the opportunity space for the University. She has been involved in several EC stakeholder groups including working on the concept development of the Erasmus European Universities initiative and currently is involved in aspects of the implementation of the ERA policy agenda.  

She served on EARMAs board and Policy and Representation Committee and was the inaugural vice chair of the COIMBRA Research Officers grouping. She is currently on the steering group of the European Research Projects Managers Group of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), on the management team for the CHARM-EU European Universities alliance and is the Chair in 2022 of the R&I subgroup of the FOREU1 network (the network of the 17 European Universities alliances funded through the first Erasmus+ pilot call). She has represented Ireland on the Expert Group of Member states on the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreements and is the Trinity contact for Science Business, Europe. She is the Principal investigator on a national grant (Enterprise Ireland) focussed on driving out more Arts Humanities and Social science engagement in the EC Framework programme. She was a Vice WG lead in the recently concluded INTREPID EU COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) action which focussed on interdisciplinarity. Doris holds a BA (Hons) in Mathematical Science and an MSc in Computer Science (Health informatics) from Trinity College. 
 

Borbala Schenk - Chief European Research Funding Advisor at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

Borbala is a Horizon Europe specialist and is leading the pre-award research support services. Borbala’s background is in law, she has been working in research management for more than 15 years, also ran her own EU funding consultancy specializing in supporting institutions in the Widening region. She was Board member of European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA) and represented the Association in the Horizon Europe negotiations as the Chair of the Policy and Representation Committee. She is the member of the Hungarian expert committee of the Widening Participation Work programme.
 

Christian Ehler - MEP, Member of the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE)

Dr Christian Ehler has been a Member of the European Parliament for Brandenburg since 2004 and belongs to the Group of the European People's Party (EPP/CDU). He has been a Member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) for over ten years and has been its coordinator for the EPP since the beginning of this legislative period. As rapporteur for Horizon 2020 (2014-2020) and Horizon Europe (2021-2027) Dr Christian Ehler is considered one of the leading figures in the design and implementation of the European Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation. He is the initiator of the ITRE working group on the implementation of the Framework Programmes, which ensures close parliamentary scrutiny of Europe's research and innovation funding. Furthermore, Dr Christian Ehler is Vice-Chair of the European Parliament's think tank STOA (Science and Technology Options Assessment). One of Dr. Ehlers main priorities is to ensure Europe’s excellence in science, technology and innovation in all sectors, including health, digital and climate. As Rapporteur for Horizon Europe, he has put forward a number of instruments to reduce the administrative burden for researchers and SMEs and for boosting public-private partnerships contributing to achieving EU climate and digital goals. In addition to his engagement in the field of research an innovation, in the European Parliament Dr Christian Ehler is also Member of the US Delegation and substitute Member of the Committee on Culture and Education, the Delegation for relations with Israel and the Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean.

Facilitator 

Dipti Pandya leads research funding and pre-award supports at University College Dublin, Ireland. This includes the provision of professional supports to enable EU, national and international funding success. Dipti has been involved in all aspects of the EU research funding lifecycle as an Erasmus alumni, EC stagiaire, awardee, early career researcher, expert evaluator (since 2005), ND/NCP for SSH, Programme Committee Member, Advisory Group member Research Infrastructures, and Senior Research Manager.

Dipti is the Chair of the EARMA Policy and Representation Committee which advocates for the key implementation role of the research management profession. In 2022, Dipti is chairing the Irish University Association Research Officer Group, which is focusing on research bureaucracy