Access Advisors EU

What you might have missed this week: 🇪🇺 Horizon Europe Key Dates and Milestones in 2025 🔬 The #HorizonEurope programme enters its final phase as the European Union prepares for the next Framework Programme (#FP10). Here are the key milestones for 2025: 🔹By April 2025, the European Commission should release the Horizon Europe 2025 #WorkProgrammes, allocating the remaining €36 billion in funding for calls for proposals. 🔹The Commission will deliver the Interim Evaluation of Horizon Europe, providing insights for #FP10 planning. 🔹It will also launch #Nine Public-Private #Partnerships focusing on brain health, innovative materials, and virtual worlds. 🔹In July 2025, we expect the FP10 proposal to kick-start negotiations for the 2028 launch. 🔹By the end of 2025, we expect the publication of work programmes for 2026–27, the final two years of Horizon Europe. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/e4qMbTzr 🌟 EU-Switzerland Agreement on Innovation and Digital Transformation🇨🇭 The European Commission and the Swiss Confederation agreed in December 2024 to enhance innovation, digital transformation, and research funding #cooperation. 1️⃣ Swiss participation in EU programmes, including #HorizonEurope, #DigitalEurope, #Erasmus+, and #EU4Health. The transitional arrangements ensure Swiss entities can access Horizon Europe calls from 1 January 2025. 2️⃣ Switzerland will work with the EU Space Agency on projects such as #Galileo and #EGNOS, advancing satellite-based innovation. 3️⃣ Switzerland will have a permanent financial contribution to EU cohesion funds. This agreement aims for full implementation by 2025. More details: https://lnkd.in/daY3FGzs 💡 2024 European Innovation Council (#EIC) Tech Report 💻 The 2024 EIC Tech Report showcases a watchlist of #34 emerging technologies and innovations developed by EIC-funded and aspiring awardees since 2018. The report highlights early-stage innovations expected to transform industries and address significant societal challenges, from climate change to digital transformation. With a €10 billion budget, the European Innovation Council (EIC) promotes solutions from early research to market scale-up. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/efAuyfUp #EUInnovation #DigitalTransformation #EICTechReport #DeepTech

We’re #hiring a new Part-Time Consultant – EU Grant Writer and Erasmus Specialist in Brussels, Brussels Region. Apply today or share this post with your network.

What you might have missed this week: 🌐 Action Plan to Protect the #Health Sector from #Cyberattacks 🏥 The European Commission has unveiled an EU Action Plan to strengthen the cybersecurity of #hospitals and #healthcare providers. As healthcare digitalisation progresses with innovations like electronic health records, telemedicine, and AI diagnostics, cyber #threats pose increasing risks. In 2023, Member States reported #309 significant cybersecurity incidents affecting healthcare—more than any other critical sector. Key measures include establishing a pan-European Cybersecurity Support Centre, led by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), to provide tailored tools, training, and support to hospitals. Read the press release: https://lnkd.in/ezReqJum 🌿 Update on Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (#ESPR) 🌍 The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is now being fully implemented. Here are some updates: ✅ #EcodesignForum: The primary #platform for stakeholder engagement, ecodesign requirement preparation, and working plan development. ✅ First ESPR #WorkingPlan: Expected by mid-2025, it will prioritise textiles, steel, ICT products, and more, covering a minimum of three years. ✅ Digital Product Passport (#DPP): Technical preparations include rules for data carriers, access rights, and establishing a DPP #registry to enhance transparency and traceability. ✅ #Ban on Destruction of #Unsold Goods: Rules are being developed to prevent waste of textiles, footwear, and other goods. Membership of the Ecodesign Forum remains open here: https://lnkd.in/dfziibxS 📰 Public Feedback on Member States' Nature Restoration Plans 🌱 The European Commission has launched a public #consultation on the uniform format for Member States' national #restoration plans under the Nature Restoration Regulation. Why a uniform format matters: 1️⃣ Efficient #data reuse that integrates existing information from related EU policies, reducing duplication. 2️⃣ Improved #monitoring to ensure consistent progress #tracking over time. 3️⃣ Sharing and replication of successful restoration #strategies. You can submit your input until 7 February 2025: https://lnkd.in/ddqbtvVk #NatureRestoration #Cybersecurity #DigitalProductPassport

What you might have missed this week: 🇰🇷 Republic of Korea to join Horizon Europe 🇪🇺 On 1 January 2025, the Republic of Korea joined Horizon Europe under a transitional arrangement with the European Union. Researchers and organisations from the Republic of Korea will be able to participate in the calls and activities of Pillar II of the Horizon Europe programme from Work Programme 2025 onwards. Once both sides validate it, the Association Agreement will be signed in 2025, opening new opportunities for researchers and unlocking the potential for collaboration. The list of Participating Countries in Horizon Europe is available at https://lnkd.in/dWkRY8gJ 🇪🇺 European Degrees: New Survey Results 📃 The European Commission has published a survey about ten #Erasmus+ pilot #projects on European #joint degrees. The findings highlight key #barriers to their implementation, including incompatible national rules on curriculum structure, duration, and teaching languages, as education remains primarily a national competence. Despite these obstacles, European Degrees represent a significant opportunity to enhance excellence and competitiveness in European higher education. They could take two main forms: 1️⃣ European Degree Label: Students of joint courses meeting specific criteria would receive a European degree label certificate alongside their national degree. 2️⃣ European Degree Qualification: A new degree qualification enshrined in national legislation, awarded jointly by universities from different countries. The survey also underscores the need for dedicated EU and national #funding to support the development of joint degrees. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/efzD7Muf 🪪General Specifications of European Student Card 🧑🎓 The European Commission has published the general specifications for the European Student Card (#ESC), a tool to streamline student mobility in the European Education Area. It upgrades the student cards issued by higher education institutions (HEIs) by adding common elements to facilitate their #recognition across Europe. The document aims to support HEIs in joining the ESC and provide the steps to connect to issue ESC, and verify student status. Read the full guidelines: https://lnkd.in/eAwdGuAF #HorizonEurope #EuropeanDegree #EuropeanStudentCard

What you might have missed this week: 🇵🇱Poland Takes the Presidency of the Council of the EU 🇪🇺  On 1 January 2025, #Poland assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, marking the beginning of a six-month term under the motto "Security, Europe!" The Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union will focus on strengthening #seven key dimensions of European security, including #defence, #border protection, #disinformation resistance, #energy transition, and #health. With an emphasis on #digital and #technological resilience, Poland will lead efforts to: 🔸Promote #cybersecurity through a comprehensive, horizontal approach. 🔸Advance artificial intelligence (#AI) research, development, and #competence centres across the EU. 🔸Support digital transformation while assessing #emerging technologies' economic and social impacts. 🔸Foster entrepreneurial #innovation, especially in disruptive tech sectors. Learn more about the priorities: https://lnkd.in/dRPQiQG5 💡New Report on Emerging Technologies in the EU Public Sector 📃 The European Commission has released a report, "The Adoption of AI, Blockchain, and Other Emerging Technologies within the European Public Sector." This study analyses how cutting-edge technologies like #AI and #blockchain can transform public service delivery and administrative efficiency in Europe. Key Insights: 1️⃣Adoption spans general public services, economic affairs, public order, and health departments. 2️⃣80% of cases involve national and local administrations piloting or implementing these technologies. 3️⃣Common applications include service personalisation, information analysis, and prediction and planning. To maximise the potential of these emerging technologies, the report recommends shifting from theoretical discussions to a systematic, evidence-based analysis. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/e9NTsnJf 📢 Call for Experts in Digital Technologies The European Commission's DG CNECT seeks 50-80 individual #experts specialising in critical and emerging digital technologies. Selected experts will contribute to #two studies: ♦️Critical Digital Capacities Deployment Beyond 2027: Focusing on the integration, application, roll-out of digital technologies and infrastructures, and skills development. ♦️Strategic Digital Technologies for FP10: Exploring research, development, and innovation of Europe's strategic digital technologies. The #deadline to apply is 20 January 2025, 18.00 CET. Submit your expression of interest through this application form: https://lnkd.in/evvjEK-M  #EU2025 #PolishPresidency #EmergingTechnologies #CallForExperts

What you might have missed this week: 🇪🇺Europe Leads the Way in R&D Growth 🔬 The latest edition of the EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard reveals that the European industry increased its investment in research and development (R&D) by 9.8% in 2023, outpacing the growth in the US (+5.9%) and China (+9.6%) for the first time since 2013. As the EU places research and innovation (R&I) at the heart of its economy to drive a clean and digital transition, there is a pressing need to: ✅ Increase private R&I investment. ✅ Strengthen strategic sectors such as ICT and health. ✅ Address disparities among Member States. ✅ Support the development of EU-based tech players and scale up innovation. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e2Vre6jA 📖New Study Highlights Challenges and Opportunities in Europe’s IoT Ecosystem🖥️ The Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT) has published a new study analysing the enabling framework for developing the Internet of Things (#IoT) ecosystem in Europe. IoT is a key driver of digitalisation and competitiveness for the EU economy. However, the study identifies several challenges across the IoT value chain: 1️⃣ IoT Hardware: Fragmentation, lack of interoperability, limited power efficiency, and barriers for SMEs due to capability gaps. 2️⃣ IoT Connectivity: Issues with bandwidth, scalability, security, and coverage hinder the sector’s growth. 3️⃣ IoT Applications: Technological evolution, security risks, dominance of large non-European corporations, and standardisation gaps present significant obstacles. 4️⃣ IoT End Users: Enterprises face difficulties adopting IoT solutions due to unclear value propositions, security concerns, integration challenges, and financial constraints. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/e9NK3HDF 👩💼Labour Market and Wage Developments in Europe: Annual Review 2024 📈 The European Commission’s 2024 report on #Labour Market and #Wage Developments in Europe comprehensively analyses recent trends and challenges across the EU. 1️⃣ Despite economic pressures, the EU labour market has demonstrated strength. 2️⃣ The high inflation period of 2022–2023 has had persistent social impacts, with limited room for sustainable wage increases. 3️⃣ Promoting labour force participation and employment of older adults is critical for addressing demographic shifts. 4️⃣ Upskilling and reskilling workers will be essential for managing labour reallocation and boosting #employability. For example, the MCEU Hospitality project, in which Access Advisors EU leads the communication efforts, promotes the #upskilling and #reskilling of #hospitality industry workers in Denmark, Iceland, and Spain. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/ecesnTVc

What you might have missed this week: 🌐New Milestone for EBSI's Validator Nodes 🚀 The #EBSI's Production-Grade #Network has onboarded #15 validator #nodes. Thanks to the European Commission, EUROPEUM - EDIC's joint effort, and the EBSI-NE project, the network has reached the #minimum number of validator nodes required to ensure the network's #security and fault-tolerance #resistance for the consensus algorithm. EBSI has also made substantial progress in open-sourcing the EBSI #code. Soon, developers and innovators can test EBSI on a local network and bootstrap new networks using the EBSI framework. Discover more: https://lnkd.in/e4puGXYK 🌍 New Report on the European Degree 🎓 The European Commission has published a new report on the results of the #Erasmus+ pilot projects for the #EuropeanDegree. Key highlights: 🔑A European Degree would enhance transnational cooperation and open new educational pathways. 🔑Shared list of 16 #criteria for the European Degree, to be discussed during the upcoming European Degree Policy Lab in 2024. 🔑Exploration of a potential legal status for European university alliances. The Erasmus+ 2025 #WorkPlan is a key tool for rolling out the European Degree, featuring exciting calls for proposals. At Access Advisors EU, we are eager to collaborate on these initiatives. If you are interested in discovering more partnership opportunities, contact us! Read the report: https://lnkd.in/efzD7Muf 🇪🇺New Committees in the European Parliament 🙋 The European Parliament has approved the creation of two #new standing committees and two #special committees: 🔹 Subcommittees on Security and Defence (#SEDE) and Public Health (#SANT) became fully-fledged committees, each with 43 members. 🔹 Two new special committees, the European Democracy Shield, aiming to strengthen democratic values, and Housing Crisis in the EU, focusing on the urgent housing challenges. The committees' composition and #leadership will be finalised by the January 2025 plenary session, when they will convene for the first time. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eUu8pycA #EuropeanParliament #EuropeanDegree #ErasmusPlus #EBSI #Blockchain

Throughout the last years, I’ve had the privilege of working on incredible projects that bring organisations together to innovate, educate, and transform. Now, with the Erasmus+ Work Programme 2025, we have an exciting opportunity to do even more. The programme offers significant funding across key areas: 🔹 Partnerships for Cooperation (€270M) – A great opportunity for Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers to share best practices and develop new approaches. 🔹 Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) (€60M) – Lead impactful skills and training projects that drive local and regional development. 🔹 Alliances for Innovation (€32M) – Collaborate on projects that tackle the green and digital transitions and deliver future-ready solutions. 🔹 Forward-Looking Projects (€8M) – Shape innovation ecosystems and address emerging challenges with forward-thinking initiatives. Whether you’re in higher education, a VET provider, or a start-up working on credentialing, digital identity, or skills recognition, these funding calls are an opportunity to turn ideas into impact. At Access Advisors, we help organizations like yours transform ambitious ideas into practical, funded projects. If this sounds like something you want to explore, don’t hesitate to message me here or reach out by email. #ErasmusPlus #EUFunding #Collaboration #HigherEducation #VET #Innovation #AccessAdvisors

What you might have missed this week: 🚀 Europe's First AI Factories 💡 The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU)) has selected #seven proposals to establish Europe's AI Factories—a €1.5 billion investment supported by national and EU funding: 📍 Barcelona, Spain – BSC AIF at Barcelona Supercomputing Center 📍 Bologna, Italy – IT4LIA at CINECA - Tecnopolo Bologna CNR 📍 Kajaani, Finland – LUMI AIF at CSC 📍 Bissen, Luxembourg – Meluxina-AI at LuxProvide 📍 Linköping, Sweden – MIMER at University of Linköping 📍 Stuttgart, Germany – HammerHAI at the University of Stuttgart 📍 Athens, Greece – Pharos at GRNET - Greek Research & Technology Network These AI factories will double EuroHPC's computing capacity and provide the #infrastructure that startups, researchers, and industry leaders need to advance European AI innovation. Deployment is planned for 2025–2026, with more Member States expected to join this initiative. The next #deadline for Member States to submit proposals for new AI Factories is 1 February 2025. More information: https://lnkd.in/d_qWNsCf 💻The Cyber Resilience Act has entered into force 🌐 On 10 December, the Cyber Resilience Act entered into force to make Europe's #cyberspace safer and more secure while protecting #citizens and #businesses from #cyberthreats. This is the first-ever EU legislation placing #mandatory cybersecurity requirements for products that include digital elements. Manufacturers must provide software #updates that fix security vulnerabilities and offer security support to consumers. The Cyber Resilience Act's main obligations will apply from 11 December 2027, complementing the #NIS2 cybersecurity framework. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dHH8ccV3 🌱Product #liability rules entered into force ♻️ New product liability rules entered into force on 9 December 2024. The new rules replace the original 1985 regime by covering products like #software, #AI systems, or product-related digital services. These new rules also consider the increasing number of products manufactured outside the EU market by ensuring that there is always an economic operator within the Union from whom a victim can claim #compensation. Discover more: https://lnkd.in/eeNM2xDv #ArtificialIntelligence #CircularEconomy #Cybersecurity

What you might have missed this week: ♻️ Europe’s Circular Economy: Progress and Challenges 🌍 The European Environment Agency (EEA) published a new briefing on Europe’s progress toward a more circular economy. It recognises the need for stronger policy implementation, financial support, and scaling up circular practices in business and society. Key areas to advance circularity: 1️⃣ Strong #policies, financing, and innovation to ensure a supportive framework for businesses and society. 2️⃣ Circular #BusinessModels that encourage companies to lower resource consumption and design for circularity. 3️⃣ Motivate #consumers to choose durable, high-value products. 4️⃣ Reduce virgin material use and enhance waste #recycling. Initiatives like the Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation (#ESPR) and the development of Digital Product Passports (#DPP) can drive all these objectives forward. Read the full briefing: https://lnkd.in/eNi8vJRY 📢 Digital Decade Strategic Workshop 🌐 On 12 December 2024, the European Commission will hold an event on Europe’s digital transformation in the second half of the #DigitalDecade under a new EU Commission. This workshop will reflect on the new EU mandate #priorities and showcase how the Digital Decade Policy Programme (DDPP) connects with real-world challenges and solutions. Join the webinar: https://lnkd.in/eH8F3VAM 💳 European Student Card (#ESC) Webinar 🎓 The European Commission will explain the latest updates of European Student Cards, including the new ESC digital platform (ESC-Router) on 12 December 2024 at 14:00 - 16:30 (CET). What’s on the Agenda? 🔷 Student status validation. 🔷 ESC-R data management. 🔷 Issuing European Student Cards. 🔷 ESC logo: design, benefits, and transition timeline. Explore more: https://lnkd.in/gGrYFCBA #DigitalInnovation #StudentMobility #CircularEconomy