The Rural toolkit is a comprehensive gateway to EU funding and support initiatives available for rural areas in the EU. It is designed to equip applicants with the knowledge and tools necessary to address local needs. The beneficiaries of this toolkit can be local authorities, institutions, businesses, associations, and individuals.

The toolkit offers an overview of funding opportunities from 26 different EU funds through an interactive funding finder. Users can filter existing schemes based on several criteria. The toolkit also contains a wide range of examples and case studies, showcasing how EU funds and support mechanisms have already been successfully implemented in rural areas across the EU.

Last week, an official launch of the toolkit was organised, and you can watch the recording of the event. The toolkit is available in all EU languages and can be accessed here.

Thousands of mayors, councillors, regional ministers and top European and global decision makers will gather in Mons, in the Walloon Region of Belgium, in the heart of Europe, to debate the challenges an​d solutions for the future of Europe and beyond.

Organised by the European Committee of the Regions together with Walloon Region and the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the 10th European Summit of Regions and Cities will bring a new perspective on topics at the heart of people's concerns, such as democracy, sustainable development, the future of the European Union and its enlargement, the need to ensure social, economic and territorial cohesion, and dealing with the consequences of the war against Ukraine. Global challenges will be addressed by bringing together different perspectives from across the world.

The European Committee of the Regions is particularly proud that this occasion coincides with its 30th anniversary and invites you to join the celebrations.

Explore the programme and event partners on this website. 

Please register here. 

The ERA FABRIC project aims to define a new ‘ERA Hubs’ concept across different geographies and structures in Europe, based on common compliance criteria. The concept acts as an incentive for advanced knowledge ecosystems to seek recognition, and for less advanced ecosystems to reach the criteria facilitating support from the European, national, and regional levels. You may read the project’s latest policy brief here.

In the previous work phase, ERA FABRIC has identified a series of parameters of excellence for knowledge ecosystems that now require validation. This survey will help the project team assess whether these criteria are encountered across different EU regional ecosystems. The survey is anonymous, gender-neutral and should take no more than 20 minutes to complete.

We encourage you to fill in the survey here by 10 March 2024.

The ERA Hubs initiative was introduced in November 2021 as Action 15 of the ERA Policy Agenda 2022-2024, with the aim to strengthen research and innovation ecosystems at national and regional levels while looking both at multi-level governance and multi-stakeholder engagement. The concept and possible rollout of ERA Hubs are of particular interest to ERRIN, also as they could potentially serve as foundation and point of reference for supporting more thematic ecosystem approaches that gain increasing attention, such as Hydrogen Valleys or Renewable Energy Valleys.

The EU-funded project Health InnoFacilitator (GA n. 101070831) invites public procurers operational in the provisioning of health and social care to apply for the Call for Coaching Sessions to receive advice to facilitate the launch of future tenders to procure innovative solutions.

The coaching services consist of ad-hoc individual supporting sessions that will be focused on the following topics:

• Topic #1: Advise public buyers on the formulation of their needs: help public buyers to identify and define their most relevant unmet need(s) with a bottom-up approach methodology.
• Topic #2: Advise public buyers on the PPI process: specialised sessions for those buyers enrolled in a PPI process. Their goal will serve as a reference point for concrete doubt resolution.

The objective of the coaching services is to provide personalized guidance through one-on-one sessions of advisory support. A maximum of 5 beneficiaries will be selected for both services.

• 3 beneficiaries for coaching services under Topic#1 will be selected.
• 2 beneficiaries for coaching services under Topic#2 will be selected.

For Topic #1, the assistance provided to the selected applicant includes personalized meetings, email support, practical guidance, and individual help, with a maximum provision of 5 man-days of expert assistance given free of charge in the period March to June 2024, adjustable according to the availability and needs of the beneficiary.

For Topic #2, the assistance includes one-to-one meetings, support by email, hands-on guidance and individual support (including legal support) for a maximum of 2 man-days of expert assistance (four sessions) given free of charge in the period March to June 2024, adjustable according to the availability and needs of the beneficiary.

Who can apply?

• Participation in this call is open on equal terms to public procurers operational in the provisioning of health and social care established in a Member State (MS) of the European Union (EU) or its Horizon-associated countries, carrying on or involved in a preparatory phase of procurement of innovation process (Innovation Partnerships are excluded).
• No particular level of expertise is needed (“newcomers” or “beginners” are also eligible).

How to apply?

Applicants shall submit their application electronically by email following the instructions included in the Call document (all proposal documents available here).

Each applicant can apply for one or both coaching services offered (Topic#1 and Topic#2). In case beneficiaries want to apply to both types of coaching services, two separate applications must be submitted.

The deadline to apply is 29 February, and all the information about the call and application process is available here.

For any question or further information, please contact SILO’s colleagues at euprojects@silocompany.com.

Join the Educational Institute for Moravia, a leading educational institution officially accredited by the Czech Ministry of Education, on an international collaboration venture. Our new Mental Health Department addresses the growing need for mental health support, aiming to quickly adapt to the evolving educational landscape. Seeking collaboration with foreign mental health organisations, we invite partners to enrich our professionals and stay responsive to current trends.

As a key educational institution officially accredited by the Ministry of Education in the Czech Republic, we have become a pioneer in providing comprehensive further education for both pedagogical and non-pedagogical staff. Our primary objective is to support teachers in their continuous professional development. Annually, the Educational Institute for Moravia organise nearly 700 events covering a diverse range of topics, including pedagogy, psychology, didactics, methodology, prevention of risky behaviour, inclusion, sustainability, soft skills, technology, and innovations in education.

Our organisation has also effectively responded to the growing need to address mental health issues by establishing a new specialized department dedicated to this matter in the long term. A challenge for our employees in this newly established department is to quickly familiarize themselves with the current situation in the field of mental health and to respond flexibly to the educational needs of European society when developing educational offerings.

Who are we looking for?

Therefore, the Educational Institute for Moraviaaim aims to take advantage of the opportunity to send our employees from the mental health department to foreign organisations for job-shadowing activities. The Educational Institute for Moravia is seeking organisations in the field of mental health which can mutually enrich our employees through experiences and sharing examples of best practices, enabling them to respond promptly and flexibly to current trends in this field.

To express your interest, please contact Natálie Miklánková at miklankova@vim-jmk.cz

The Finnish higher education institutions, together with Nordic partners, are hosting an event on The Role of Higher Education Institutions in Securing the EU’s Competitiveness and Resilience – Nordic Higher Education Institutions’ Perspectives for the 2024–2029 European Parliament and Commission. The event will take place on 19 March from 13:00- 20:00 in Brussels.

How can we harness the full potential of Nordic higher education institutions (HEIs) in fortifying the EU's resilience on the global stage? Why is the entire HEI value chain, from basic to applied research, crucial for securing the EU's future competitiveness? What are Nordic higher education institutions’ perspectives on the EU's strategic autonomy?  

With the dawn of the new EU legislative term, the timing is ideal to address the challenges facing the union and explore potential solutions. The event will place a spotlight on the crucial role Nordic higher education institutions can assume in bolstering the EU's competitiveness and resilience.

The event will create thought-provoking conversations with many speakers playing key roles in shaping the EU’s research & innovation landscape, such as Ville Niinistö (Member of European Parliament), Pernille Weiss (Member of European Parliament), Anna Panagopoulou (Director of ERA & Innovation, DG RTD), Barbara Kauffmann (Director for Employment and Social Governance, DG EMPL), Jonas Cederlöf (Policy Officer, DG DEFIS), and other esteemed representatives and experts from the EU institutions and Nordic higher education institutions.

Please register for the event here.

Programme:

13:00-13:30 Registration   

13:30-13:40 Welcoming words by Nordic higher education institutions

13:40-13:50 Keynote by the European Commission: Why we need the entire value chain on board to secure the EU’s competitiveness and resilience – from basic research to applied research and beyond

13:50-14:00 Keynote by the European Parliament: What kind of FP10 do we need to ensure the EU’s security and resilience?

14:05-14:50 Panel I: Nordic HEIs’ role in the future of EU open strategic autonomy

14:55-15:45 Panel II: Nordic HEIs’ contributions to green and digital transitions while securing the EU’s leading role in critical technologies 

15:45-16:15 Coffee & networking break  

16:20-17:10 Panel III: Nordic HEIs’ perspectives on economically and socially sustainable states fostering an equal and resilient EU

17:15-18:05 Panel IV: HEIs on the Arctic and Eastern EU external border – defence and security in research and development

18:10-18:30 Closing remarks

18:30-20:00 Networking reception

ERRIN is looking for a Communications Assistant! This traineeship is an excellent opportunity to gain first-hand experience in Research and Innovation, working closely with the rest of the team in different areas of activity.

Learn more about ERRIN's recent work in the 2023 Year in Review.

About the role

The assistant will actively participate in the daily work of the ERRIN Secretariat by carrying out a diverse range of tasks and will be able to support Working Group activities in one or more thematic areas of interest.

The assistant will gain knowledge of EU policy in the thematic area of choice and improve various skills linked to facilitating Working Groups and their activities.

More details on the tasks are available in the attached job description.

What we offer

The position is offered as a six-month Belgian traineeship, with the possibility of an extension, under the “Convention d’immersion professionnelle”. The salary is set at 1200€/month, in addition to a monthly travel pass for Brussels.

Candidate profile

This position is open to all recent graduates who are looking for a place to develop their skills and to build a strong profile for a future career in communications and research and innovation. We are seeking a self-motivated person who can work independently as well as in a team.

More details on the requirements are available in the attached job description. 

How to apply

To apply, please read the full job description and then send your CV and cover letter in English, in pdf format, to teresa.vio@errin.eu with the job title as the email subject. Applications should also clearly indicate the possible starting date and contact details. 

The deadline to apply is 27 February at 17:00 CET. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.  

Data protection

The information provided by the candidates in their application form is collected solely for the purpose of the selection procedure and the recruitment process. 

On the occasion of the European R&I Week, we would like to warmly invite you to a networking reception on 19 March from 18:00-20:30 at the ERRIN premises in Brussels (Rue du Luxembourg 3).  

As you know, 2024 is a decisive year for the development of the next Framework Programme (FP10) and setting the tone for the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) post-2027. On the eve of the EU R&I Days 2024, ERRIN wishes to bring together local and regional R&I enthusiasts from our community across Europe to meet up and discuss the way forward with the EU R&I policy and funding.  

We are pleased to share that Signe Ratso, Deputy Director-General of DG RTD, and Manuel Heitor, Chair of the Commission expert group on the interim evaluation of Horizon Europe, will join the event as keynote speakers. Participants will also have a chance to hear a few brief inspiring interventions from fellow ERRIN members on their work on FP10 and key issues to address.

ERRIN has been an active partner in shaping the R&I policy. For example, last February, we submitted an input to Horizon 2014-2027 consultation, co-created with ERRIN membership. We have also kick-started new discussions on the FP10 and strengthening R&I dimension in cohesion policy post-2027 at the beginning of 2024, and will organise various network activities on FP10 throughout the year - you may find our March update here.

We hope that you will join us with many stakeholders from your local and regional research and innovation ecosystems attending the R&I Week in Brussels.  

We have reached capacity and registrations are now closed.

Bangor University's School of Ocean Sciences in collaboration with University College Cork and the Ulster Wildlife Trust are hosting a series of workshops to assess the feasibility of creating an Irish and Celtic Sea hub. This workshop will take place on 28 February from 09:30-13:00 at the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels.

This workshop will aim to discuss approaches to collaboration in sea basins to inform the development of an Irish and Celtic Sea Hub.

As part of the Welsh Government's Agile Cymru programme work is being undertaken to explore co-operation and collaboration in the Irish Sea Space. Agile Cymru aims to deliver cross-border and international economic co-operation across shared interests and align with the Horizon Europe Mission to “Restore our Ocean and Waters” which aims to protect and restore the health of our ocean and waters through research and innovation, citizen engagement and blue investments.

Bangor University's School of Ocean Sciences in collaboration with University College Cork and the Ulster Wildlife Trust are hosting a series of workshops in Belfast, Anglesey, Cork, Brussels and Cardiff that aim to assess the feasibility of creating an Irish and Celtic Sea hub or ‘Lighthouse’ to facilitate collaborative activities, partnerships and proposals whilst acting as a platform for the development, demonstration and deployment of innovative solutions in the Irish and Celtic Sea space. The Brussels workshop will aim to draw on the experiences of collaborative work elsewhere in Europe and position the Irish Sea Space alongside other sea basins.

To register please email Catherine Marston at Welsh Higher Education Brussels - catherine.marston@uniswales.ac.uk

ERRIN is excited to announce the launch of its new Project Development Tool (PDT), a significant game-changer in how ERRIN members and their stakeholders engage in project development activities. 

Ensuring a bottom-up approach, the PDT will not only streamline the project development process within ERRIN but also unlock the potential of collaboration within the network. 

Through this user-friendly platform, members gain access to a comprehensive database of pre-selected calls sourced directly from the European Commission's Funding and Tenders Portal. One of the PDT's key features is its ability to enhance collaboration and project opportunities between members. By enabling users to express interest in specific calls, outline project ideas and define their roles within potential projects, the tool facilitates the connections between members and stakeholders who have expressed interest in the same calls. 

We encourage all members to log in, explore this tool and leverage it for their project development needs. Stay informed, stay connected and transform your project ideas into successful collaborations through the ERRIN Project Development Tool.