The European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program is continuing where the Seventh Framework Program (FP7) left off; it serves as the main funding mechanism through which the EU supports research and development activities covering almost all scientific disciplines.  Projects and other activities funded by Horizon 2020 must be led by EU partners (in consortia comprising a minimum of 3 EU institutions), however, international collaboration with third countries such as Canada is actively encouraged.  Canadians can be eligible for EU financial support, although the EU proponents must make a convincing case that the Canadian contribution to a particular research project is essential to the project’s success, and that the expertise brought by the Canadians cannot be found within the EU.

In October, a series of calls were announced for Horizon 2020’s various Work Programmes for 2016-17 (the Work Programme is an annual plan for a particular thematic area under Horizon 2020 that translates the strategic direction of the European Commission into action items for that year).  The folllowing programmes will be of most interest to researchers:

Industrial Leadership Pillar

• Information and Communication Technologies
• Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials, Biotechnology and Production
• Space

Societal Challenges Pillar

• Health, demographic social change and wellbeing
  • continued grant to the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (which coordinates with CIHR)
• Food security, Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Marine and Maritime and Inland Water Research and the Bioeconomy
  • SFS-39-2017: How to tackle the childhood obesity epidemic?
  • BG-09-2016: An integrated Arctic observation system
  • BG-10-2016: Impact of Arctic changes on the weather and climate of the Northern Hemisphere
  • BG-11-2017: The effect of climate change on Arctic permafrost and its socio-economic impact, with a focus on coastal areas

• Secure, clean and efficient energy
• Smart, green and integrated transport
  • MG-3.2-2017: Protection of all road users in crashes
  • MG-3.5-2016: Behavioural aspects for safer transport

• Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials
• Europe in changing world – inclusive, innovative and reflective societies
• Secure societies

The italicised calls above are those which have specifically indicated that Canadians should be included in project consortia.

A press release with details of the new Work Programmes (valued in total at nearly 16 million euro), and links to the calls themselves, is available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-15-5832_en.htm

Brescia faculty working in these areas, who have existing collaborative relationships with colleagues in the EU, are encouraged to investigate whether any of the calls might provide an opportunity for a proposal they have in mind with their European partners.  If so, the next step would be to contact their European counterparts to signal their interest in collaborating on these proposals. Interested faculty are encouraged to contact Elizabeth Russell-Minda, Research Officer to obtain additional information.