Every year ERRIN defines workstreams to guide its work throughout the year, closely linking to its core missions and priorities, as well as the key initiatives in the EU R&I agenda. Each of the 15 Working Groups and Task Forces develops an Annual Plan, which defines their key priorities, looking at the strategic EU initiatives, as well as cross-cutting topics to be tackled in clusters. 

To better coordinate the ERRIN activities and to avoid siloes, the cluster approach within ERRIN has been strengthened this year. ERRIN’s Working Groups and Task Forces have been clustered to mirror Horizon Europe’s Pillar 2: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness already since 2018. By prioritising collaborative work within the clusters, ERRIN aims to implement a more transversal approach with a stronger emphasis on strategic issues going beyond thematic priorities. 

All annual plans are available on a dedicated website, which can be accessed here.  

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ERRIN currently has two network-wide priorities that help focus and better coordinate our activities. The two priorities are 1) further shaping and supporting members’ engagement in the EU Missions and 2) widening and deepening engagement in research and innovation with the aim of achieving a more inclusive ecosystem approach across Europe. Both priorities are embedded into the activities of ERRIN Working Groups and Task Forces and followed up by the Management Board. 

Preparations for the European Week of Regions and Cities 2024 have offically started!

The 22nd edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities will take place on 7-10 October 2024.  

The kick-off meeting for potential partners will take place on Thursday, 22 February, from 10:00 - 11:30 at the European Committee of the Regions, Jacques Delors Building (Rue Belliard 101,1040 Brussels). You can also follow the meeting via web streaming.  

During this meeting, the EURegionsWeek Team will introduce the themes of this year's edition and the novelties, and you will find out all you need to know to become a potential partner of the #EURegionsWeek2024.   

To attend the meeting in-person, please register by Monday, 19 February, via the following link: Register here.  

Please note that onsite places are limited and will be allocated on a first registered, first served basis.  

Regional Studies Association Research Network on Cohesion Policy #CPnet and the Wielkopolska Region Office in Brussels are pleased to invite you for a public event aimed at promoting recently published volume by Edward Elgar Publishing entitled “EU Cohesion Policy: A Multidisciplinary Approach” discussing the state-of-the-art of Cohesion Policy and its future. The event will be held on 22 February 2024 at 17:30 at the Wielkopolska Region Brussels Office, Rue Montoyer 21. 

Please register via this link.

PROGRAMME

Welcome

Joanna Kubiak, Wielkopolska Region Brussels Office
Ida Musiałkowska, RSA CPnet, Poznań University of Economics and Business
 

Book presentation

Nicola F. Dotti, RSA CPnet
Ida Musiałkowska, RSA CPnet, Poznań University of Economics and Business
Julia Walczyk, RSA CPnet, Maastricht University
 

Roundtable discussion

Rachel Lancry Beaumont, European Committee of the Regions
Andrea Conte, JRC, European Commission
Joerg Lackenbauer, DG REGIO, European Commission
Magdalena Sapała, EPRS, European Parliament

Stay with us after the debate for a networking reception!

The ‘Regions for EU Recovery’ (R4EUR) initiative will present the Conclusions of the 'R4EUR RRF mid-term evaluation'. During this event, the R4EUR initiative will present the Conclusions of a survey among its members on implementing the National Recovery Plans and their implications and impact on the future of Cohesion Policy after 2027. The survey was carried out in October-November 2023 (15 regions of 8 member states) to contribute to the current European Commission’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) mid-term evaluation. 

The ‘Regions for EU Recovery’ (R4EUR) initiative, established in 2020, unites over 30 European regions across nine member states (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, and Spain) with the shared objective of bolstering regional influence in EU decision-making concerning post-COVID-19 recovery and transformation.

In 2022, the R4EUR initiative conducted a first benchmark study on the RRF implementation. In October-November 2023, it surveyed 15 regions from 8 member states, resulting in a second benchmark study that gathers insights on the implementation of national Recovery and Resilience plans and explores potential implications for the future of cohesion policy post-2027.

The Joint Event will feature the R4EUR initiative, presenting the main findings of its work. Additionally, key EU institutions, including the European Commission (EC), the Committee of the Regions (CoR), the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), and the High-Level Group for the future of the Cohesion Policy, will contribute and engage in discussions.

More information and registration can be found here.

Europe’s Rail Call for Proposals 2024 is now open for submissions until 7 May, offering a substantial funding pool of €21.7 million for groundbreaking rail projects.

For this call, Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking is building synergies with the Smart Network and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) to focus on digital testing for the upcoming EU rail communication system. 

The Call draws inspiration from past successes, incorporating insights from projects such as Flagship Project 2 R2DATO, Flagship Project 6 FutuRe, the Shift2Rail Innovation Programme 5, the European Digital Automatic Coupler Delivery Programme, and the Europe’s Rail Flagship Project 5 TRANS4M-R.

For more information on the topics of the Call, please consult the Work Programme 2024 and join the online Info Day 2024 on 9 February, starting at 10:00 CET (register here). A dedicated platform has been launched that allows registered participants to engage in long-term matchmaking, posting competencies, skills, and topics of interest to connect with like-minded experts. 

The Waterfront Cities Session is organised by the EU Mission on Restore our Oceans and Waters by 2030 (Mission Ocean & Waters) and the EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities (Cities Mission) in collaboration with the CrAFt project on 19 February between 10:30-12:00. 

The session will highlight how the Ocean and Waters Mission urban dimension intersects with the blue infrastructure component of the Cities Mission. This will be explored through three projects in the EU Mission portfolio that operate in the overlapping Cities-Oceans/Waters space.

The session will provide a sneak peek at upcoming services to be provided to the Charter of the Mission Ocean & Waters. It will also showcase how waterfront cities involved in projects funded under the Cities Mission and horizontally under the EU Missions use blue infrastructure as a key component of urban spatial planning to support the transition to climate neutrality and greater climate resilience.

WHO IS THIS SESSION FOR?

• Cities Mission cities and communities
• Ocean & Waters cities and communities
• New European Bauhaus cities and communities

Find the agenda and the registration here. 

Mind the Bridge (a San Francisco-based innovation advisory firm) will host András G. Inotai, Head of Unit, Innovation Policy and Access to Finance, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission, for a webinar with a Q&A opportunity.

During the workshop on 7 February from 16.30-18:00 CET, András will present the EU strategy to support the Regional Innovation Valleys and provide details regarding the criteria, the matchmaking tool to find other regions with whom to work, and the funding.

Please confirm your participation as soon as possible by registering on this link, since for logistical reasons only a limited group of participants will be allowed to interact live with András G. Inotai (one per region, first come first serve principle). Upon confirmation, you’ll receive a link to join the workshop and a formal invitation.

Workshop Agenda:

• Alberto Onetti, Chairman Mind the Bridge: Introduction
• András G. Inotai: Presentation on the EU Strategy for Regional Innovation Valleys
• Interactive Q&A Session

With the Commission proposal on the next EU Framework Programme for R&I (FP10) expected in mid-2025, this year will be key for setting the tone for further work on the topic and actively engaging in discussion – here’s an overview of ERRIN activities currently in the pipeline.

ERRIN’s strategic work was kicked off on 30 January with a meeting on R&I and cohesion policies post-2027, focusing on the state of play and upcoming developments on both policy frameworks. DG RTD and DG REGIO representatives shared insights on their plans, expectations, and trends – also linking to the discussions currently ongoing in the Commission Expert Group on the Interim Evaluation of Horizon Europe and the outcomes of the Commission High-Level Group on the future of cohesion policy post-2027. We also shared the planned ERRIN activities around FP10 and timeline for 2024. Learn more and find the meeting slides here.

This week, we have also launched an internal survey for ERRIN members to scope regional plans, activities and key issues to address with regard to ERRIN’s work around FP10. The results will contribute to guiding and shaping ERRIN inputs on FP10. We encourage all ERRIN members to fill in the survey by 15 February here.

Based on the survey results, the Policy Working Group will organise on 22 February an internal exchange for network members to discuss the regional activities planned around the FP10, as well as the structuring and focus of ERRIN’s work. The event will serve to raise inspiration, collect examples and experiences and to help coordinating efforts of our joint work towards FP10. Please find more details and register here.

Based on these first exchanges, further network meetings and activities relating to FP10 developments will follow throughout the year, with EU Missions and widening and deepening engagement as some of the topics to be covered. Linking to this, on 7 February, ERRIN and the TRAMI project, dedicated to the implementation of the five EU Missions, will also hold a Mutual Learning Event aiming to explore synergies between European Partnerships and EU Missions. Learn more here.

Moreover, ERRIN plans to organise a reception during the R&I week (week of 18 March) – the exact date and more details will be shared with the members soon!

While rolling out this year’s ERRIN activities, we will be keeping an eye on key EU-level developments such as: the publication of ex-post evaluation of Horizon 2020 on 29 January, the publication of Horizon Europe 2025-2027 Strategic Plan and ERAC FP10 Task Force report in June, and the publication of Commission expert group report in the second half of the year.