European research resources in the forest-based sector remain fragmented due to multiple uncoordinated activities. ForestValue2 is to contribute i) to provision of a shared and robust knowledge base to make Europe’s transition to being the first climate neutral continent by 2050 a reality, and ii) overcoming the fragmentation of public research efforts in the EU and to reinforce work on research priorities that call for a stronger coordination and collaboration. Encouraging wide engagement, in particular early-stage researchers and EU widening countries, the CSA will strengthen the ERA. ForestValue2 brings together 14 owners and managers of national and regional RDI programmes in 11 Member States of the European Union - FI, IE, DE, ES, SI, LV, PL, SK, IT, EE, RO - and in one Associated Country (NO) with an aim to coordinate national and regional R&I programmes by pooling national resources and contributing to the alignment of national research and innovation policies. The project has four main objectives: 1) Identification of common research and innovation priorities agreed among the participating national and regional R&I programmes in the area of forest-based bioeconomy, taking into account international developments where relevant; 2) Implementation of a joint call(s), resulting in the funding of transnational collaborative R&I projects; 3) Implementation of other joint activities supporting the market, regulatory or societal uptake based on forest science results; 4) A multi-actor approach in addressing Global Challenges, including relevant contribution to the SDGs. Six of the partners come from the widening countries, whilst at the same time representing the BIOEAST Initiative. ForestValue2 will address “improving access to excellence” through a portfolio of actions that aim at building up R&I capacities especially in EU13 and Ukraine and Republic of Moldova, to enable them to advance to the competitive edge at European and international level.

CHANSE, Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe, is a joint initiative of 27 research funding organisations from 24 countries. The CHANSE Programme builds on the experience of two existing networks: HERA (Humanities in the European Research Area) and NORFACE (New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Cooperation in Europe) supporting research in humanities and social sciences respectively. The main goal of the CHANSE inititive is to launch a transnational call for collaborative projects focused on the topic of Transformations: Social and cultural dynamics in the digital age. The objective of this call will be to help understand how digital innovations give rise to social and cultural changes, and are also influenced by society and culture. The joint research call combines the analytic and transformative powers of the humanities and social sciences in understanding processes of change and considering solutions when societies face the introduction of innovations. With a budget of over EUR 36 million, including expected EC co-funding, CHANSE consortium plans to fund excellent research projects conducted by research teams from at least three countries involved in the Programme. CHANSE will strive to produce a lasting effect on the research landscape by cultivating durable research collaboration across multiple national and regional borders, disciplinary boundaries, and stakeholders, thus supporting the sharing of excellence and promoting widening participation in the European Research Area. CHANSE will also strongly support knowledge exchange activities and foster relationships between academia and relevant stakeholders, as well as explore and develop new joint actions. By offering new opportunities for international research cooperation in a critical area of enquiry, the CHANSE Programme will deliver a broad range of academic, societal and economic impacts within, across and beyond the partner countries.

NCP_WIDERA.NET aims at support the capacity and effectiveness of WIDERA National Contact Points with a special attention to less experienced entities in low performing Member States (MS) and Associated Countries (AC) to bridge the knowledge gaps to enhance access to funding possibilities under the Framework Programme. Through strengthening and enhancing the role of the NCPs, the project shall support international networking and coordination, as well as improve the quality of proposals from legal entities from low R&I performing MS and AC providing them with better access to services during the application process in particular with regard to Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area, as well as Pillar II actions. NCP_WIDERA.NET will focus on identifying and sharing good practices within NCP community and raising standards of support offered by NCPs to the applicants, taking into account the diversity of actors that constitutes both the Widening and ERA parts. Moreover, this project will equip the transnational network of NCPs to be in a better position to effectively address cross-cutting objectives such as gender equality and open science.

Worldwide, nearly 47 million people are currently estimated to be living with dementia, and the number is expected to almost double every 20 years, yet treatments that prevent or stop the progression of neurodegeneration are still lacking. Tackling this grand challenge requires enhanced coordination of national efforts to accelerate discovery. Such synergies have been created among 30 countries in the pilot EU JPI on Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND). JPND has a long standing experience in collaborative actions; since 2011, a cumulated funding of 132M€ has been dedicated to competitive transnational calls and JPND is now a reference for European and global knowledge and as an innovation platform in the area of neurodegenerative diseases. Building on earlier successes of the JPND Research Strategy in scaling-up and establishing synergies with Horizon 2020, there is a need to continue previous efforts to consolidate the JPND successes in defragmentation, better coordination and alignment amongst the countries, by developing new links with the EC. JPcofuND 2 aims at launching in 2019 an ambitious call for proposals on personalised medicine, where the benefits for the patients affected with neurodegenerative diseases will be explored through personalised diagnosis, personalised prevention and personalised care. Participating countries have earmarked 24,7 M€ of national funds for this call. Moreover, to expand the impact of the project, JPND will continue to implement other actions without EU co-funding such as aligning national research strategies, making databases more accessible and interoperable, developing enabling capacities such as supportive infrastructure and platforms, capacity building, education and training. These actions are required in parallel to achieve the highest impact for the patients, their carers and for society as whole and address this grand challenge in the coming years.

QuantERA III is aimed at strengthening Europe’s leadership in Quantum Technologies (QT) through a highly coordinated transnational approach. Building on the success of its predecessors, QuantERA III will subsidise cutting-edge research by launching a Cofunded Call for Proposals in 2025, backed by over €37 M in national contributions, targeting two critical areas: Quantum Phenomena and Resources and Applied Quantum Science. Additional €15 M of the EU contribution shall be allocated to both the Cofunded Call budget and the project tasks. By supporting projects that lay the foundations for future QT advancements and translating quantum science into practical applications, the Programme will catalyse new directions in the field, ensuring the EU’s leading status in this transformative technology sector. QuantERA III’s objectives align seamlessly with the EC’s Work Programme, as it seeks to address fragmentation in QT research across the European Research Area (ERA) and develop synergy in transnational research efforts. QuantERA III is designed to meet the highest standards of excellence, capitalising on the collective expertise and resources of 40 RFOs from 30 countries (incl. 14 Widening countries) – the Programme will achieve its objectives through a well-structured approach that leverages the unique strengths of each Consortium partner. It will explore further funding opportunities, continue mapping QT policies in Europe, address gender imbalance in QT, and – liaising with the Quantum Flagship and other stakeholders – engage with non-European countries to expand its reach and amplify its impact. The Consortium aims to build a sustainable vision for QuantERA beyond Horizon Europe, benefitting the entire ERA by enhancing Europe’s innovation capacity and maintaining its competitive edge on the global stage. Through its comprehensive framework of six Work Packages, the proposal ensures the realisation of its goals, aligning perfectly with the EC’s priorities for R&I.