MEPs to consult Universitas 21 Research Leaders on Horizon Europe
26 Nov 2018
Research Leaders from 10 Universitas 21 (U21) universities have been invited to meet MEPs, Director Generals and other stakeholders at the European Parliament on November 26-27th to give their perspective on the role of international collaboration in Horizon Europe, an ambitious €100 billion research and innovation programme that will succeed Horizon 2020.
The group will attend round table and bilateral meetings in the European Parliament with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and officials from the European Commission. Delegates from the Universities of Birmingham, California; Davis, Edinburgh, Johannesburg, Melbourne, Nottingham, Zurich, University College Dublin as well as the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and McMaster University (Canada) will be represented at the meetings.
Provost of U21, Professor Bairbre Redmond said, ‘This is an unprecedented opportunity for U21 university members to work together to influence international policy and the future of world-wide research funding. The meeting reflects the considerable collaborative strength of U21, offering its members opportunities to access and inform EU decision-makers and others in ways that would not otherwise be possible for any single institution. Our U21 members, all world-class research-intensive universities, have vast experience and wisdom about research funding from a global perspective. I am delighted that the European Parliament has chosen to recognise this and has invited them to Brussels as a group to learn from their expertise at this very key time in international research funding decision-making'.
Professor Orla Feely, Vice President for Research, Innovation and Impact at University College Dublin said, 'UCD is very pleased to have led this U21 submission at a very crucial time in international higher education research funding. We very much value the considerable contribution to the submission of our U21 colleagues from around the world. They bring strength, expertise and true global relevance to U21’s current negotiations with EU stakeholders'.
Earlier this year U21 Research Leaders authored an EU Position Paper, reflecting their previous experiences with European Funding Programmes, from a global perspective. This paper also offered a series of recommendations on how the upcoming Horizon Europe funding programme could be strengthened by the enhanced inclusion of non-EU institutions, such as U21’s network of international, research-intensive university members.