The European Commission adopted its legislative proposal for a strategic European partnership on Smart Networks and Services as a Joint Undertaking, with a public R&I investment of €900 million over the new long-term budget period 2021-2027.
The Commission proposed to set up 10 new European Partnerships between the European Union, Member States and/or the industry. The goal is to speed up the transition towards a green, climate neutral and digital Europe, and to make European industry more resilient and competitive.
On 10 February, new FAQs related to the COVID-19 pandemic were published and some of the existing FAQs updated with MSCA-specific clarifications.
On 17 February, the Commission presented a Communication for the proposed launch of a European bio-defence preparedness programme called “HERA Incubator” to address the emerging threat of coronavirus variants.
The European Research Council is launching a new mentoring initiative to target countries where the levels of participation and success rates in ERC calls for proposals have been so far modest.