Alliance4Life contributed to the Science|Business Widening conference in Prague
Alliance4Life was represented at the conference “Fair access to resources: Looking to 2030 and beyond” organized by Science|Business in partnership with Charles University in Prague on 26th September 2023.
The Alliance4Life´s Coordinator Zlatuše Novotná and the Vice-Rector of Medical University Lodz Lucyna Woźniak were invited by organizers to share their experience with the Widening programme of Horizon Europe as well as recommendations for the next period to come after 2027, when the 10th Framework Programme for research and innovation will be launched.
Moreover, two further Alliance4Life´s members sent their representatives to this interesting event: University of Zagreb School of Medicine was represented by Filip Sedlic, and Medical University of Sofia by the Senior Expert in International Relations & Project Magdalena Kasnakova.
The conference gathered R&D leaders in the public and private sectors from Brussels and across the EU, who were eager to discuss how to bridge the research and innovation gap between east and west, which is the ultimate goal also for Alliance4Life. The European Commission was represented by Manuel Aleixo, Head of Unit, ERA and Innovation, DG RTD.
The conference was opened by the Rector of Charles University, Milena Králíčková, who, among others, stayed at the beginning of Alliance4Life in the role of the Czech delegate in the Health SC1 Programme Committee, and, therefore, knows the Alliance4Life well. During the opening also the Chair of Science|Business Edit Herczog welcomed speakers and participants. Two panel discussions followed, an exciting presentation about the participation of the Widening countries located in Central and Eastern Europe (EU-13) in Horizon Europe and the event was then wrapped-up by Manuel Aleixo. You can see the details of the programme below.
Zlatuše Novotná and Lucyna Woźniak were speakers in the panel discussion titled “Horizontal challenges and the way forward“. The discussion covered interesting topics, i.e., if the Widening programme is useful and how it can reflect the current needs and recommendations of the research community as well as of Alliance4Life. Lucyna Woźniak shared her long-term experience with the EU research policy as a member of the expert group to the EC, and talked about the need for better evaluation of European R&I programmes: “We are collecting a wonderful shelf of programmes… but then we leave them on the shelf. There is no activity to translate the previous results into activities for the future”, said Wozniak.
Zlatuše Novotná presented the successful steps in the governance of the CEITEC research centre of excellence, which were decisive for the internationalisation of the staff and materialised in excellent scientific achievements of the institute. She presented the main messages of Alliance4Life´s Widening paper, especially about the need to shift from creating new Centres of Excellence (incl. those established from the Teaming instrument) to the sustainability of the existing ones. She also mentioned the need to shift the philosophy behind the Widening programme from Centres in Widening countries being followers or receivers of some excellence to being excellent themselves. “For the next Framework Programme we would like to see the Widening programme without the obligation to include an “advanced“ partner from a non-widening country and with a bigger share of funding to research activities instead of networking and supporting activities”, she said.
The conference was of a very high quality and it was already the third regional event organised as part of the Science|Business Widening initiative, which covers a series of debates on transforming the Widening Programme as European and national policymakers start shaping the next EU Framework Programme for research and innovation. Many thanks to the organizers that the Alliance4Life was part of this important debate.