BIOVEGEN participated in the event “Missions in Horizon Europe: design and impact by and for Spanish society” organized by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the Ministry for Ecological Transition, which took place during COP25 held at IFEMA-Madrid.
The objective of the meeting was to inform about the upcoming European Framework Program for Science and Technology, Horizon Europe, and to discuss a novel part of it: the Missions. The day was set as an exercise to debate and contribute to the design and content of the five areas defined in the Missions:
- Adaptation to climate change, including social transformation.
- Climate-neutral and smart cities.
- The health of soil and nutrition.
- Healthy oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters.
- Cancer.
To achieve this, the event included two debates, one focused on the current state of the definition of strategic areas and priority objectives for each Mission, and another on common cross-cutting issues of interest in the design and structure of the Missions. Both discussions involved participation from experts on the Mission Boards.
Finally, interactive working sessions were held for each of the Missions, where agents from each sector, including BIOVEGEN, engaged in dialogue with experts from the Mission Boards, the Spanish representatives on the Strategic Committee of Horizon Europe for Missions, and representatives from the Commission within the scope of each Mission.
The aim of these meetings was to identify attendees’ interests regarding the specific objectives or Missions, the areas of action, and the actions/instruments that need to be defined in Horizon Europe, the innovations to be considered, and the necessary mechanisms for synergies in this Mission.
Additionally, the European Commission has promoted a survey on the Mission 3 “Soil Health and Food” in order to understand the perception that society has on this topic/Mission to use the responses in the design, development, and implementation of the Mission. You can access the survey at the following link.
Program of the day
10:15 AM. The future Framework Program: Horizon Europe and the Missions
- Neville Reeve. European Commission. Unit A4
10:30 AM. Institutional Opening and Debate on the new approach of Missions in Horizon Europe
Moderated by: Rafael Rodrigo, Secretary General for Coordination of Scientific Policy, MCIU
- Lina Gávlez, European Parliament, Vice-President of the ITRE Committee
- Pedro Duque, Minister of Science, Innovation, and Universities
11:00 AM. Coffee and interaction between attendees
12:00 PM. Missions under Horizon Europe. Challenges and what to expect.
Moderated by: Clara E. García, Research Advisor at the Representation of Spain to the EU
Members of the Mission Boards:
- Asun Lera St. Clair (BSC), Climate change adaptation, including social transformation
- Julio Lumbreras (UPM), Climate-neutral and smart cities
- Carmen Vela (Eurofins INGENASA), Soil health and nutrition
- Darko Manakovski (MNK Global development), Healthy oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters
- Pedro Pita (Universidade Nova de Lisboa), Cancer
12:45 PM. Spain’s interest in the Mission: Discussion on cross-cutting aspects in Mission design
Moderated by: Clara E. García, Research Advisor at the Representation of Spain to the EU
Members of the Mission Boards.
2:00 PM. Lunch and interaction between attendees
2:30 PM. National design sessions, inputs for the co-design of the Missions
The Mission in soil health and nutrition
Moderator: José Manuel González (CDTI)
2:30 PM. Introduction to the co-design session
- The mission of soil health and nutrition in practice. Annette Schneegans (European Commission, DG AGRI)
- Mirror Group at national level. Rocío Lansac (INIA) / Juan Luis Ramos (CSIC)
- Perspective of the Mission Board / Mission Assembly. Carmen Vela (Eurofins INGENASA) / Susana Bautista (Univ. Alicante)
3:00 PM. Discussion with participants
- Important missions for Spain. Key challenges and expected impacts.
- Action areas of the Mission
- Actions to be developed in the scope of the Mission
- Actions and instruments in Horizon EU to implement the missions:
- Type of innovations within the missions:
3:50 PM. Final conclusions and Next steps.
- Rocío Lansac. INIA
4:00 PM. End of the Session