Missions and Partnerships
02INTRODUCTION
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10MANDATE
As regards missions, the action in the ERA Policy Agenda is formulated as follows: ‘Share information, create awareness and build ownership of EU missions at national level, regional and community level’. The arrangements to achieve the above aims, which should help to secure the support of member States to missions, their involvement in governance and active contributions towards the objectives of the missions, are still under development with several lines of action:
- Working Groups of the Strategic Configuration of the Horizon Europe Programme Committee (SPC), shortly to meet for the first time, will provide an extended space beyond the SPC itself for discussion on the R&I content of the missions and how this connects to and requires support from other EU and national/regional policy areas. Member States/Associated Countries (MS/AC) were asked to nominate delegates to these Working Groups taking into account these policy aims. Participation of actors from MS/AC in the missions actions funded under Horizon Europe is also to be supported through a dedicated network of Horizon Europe National Contact Points.
- A Core Network, will be established through the TRAMI project (TRAnsnational Approach to Mission Implementation), with the purpose of facilitating the sharing of information on the process of implementing missions, governance arrangements, and also to support the deployment of the missions. Still to be decided and subject to the evolving definition of missions needs are:
a) If the combination of Working Groups of the SPC combined with the advice of the Mission Boards, give sufficient space and means for identification of the missions R&I agenda and how this can be realised through Horizon Europe
b) How to support the engagement of MS/AC at policy level, for R&I and other policy areas, and through aligning programmes and creating synergies. The Mission Core Network and overall work of the TRAMI project will provide significant support for the implementation of Missions at national level including fostering cross-MS/AC dialogue.
c) How to establish means for performance monitoring of missions progress, covering funding actions at EU and MS/AC level.
Orientations of needs and identification of possibilities could be supported through strategic discussions in the ERA Forum.
As regards partnerships, the action in the ERA Policy Agenda is formulated as follows: ‘Monitor the performance of partnerships and how they contribute to the new ERA and its set of values and principles (on the basis of the work of the Partnership Knowledge Hub).
In concrete terms, two lines of interaction between the Partnership Knowledge Hub and the ERA Forum are being considered:
- The Partnership Knowledge Hub (PKH) will be the central interaction point between the Commission, the Member States/Associated Countries and the Partnerships for producing the Biennial Monitoring Report on European Partnerships (BMR), which will monitor the performance of European Partnerships across the lifetime of Horizon Europe. The PKH will be asked to prepare an opinion on this BMR, which will be channelled to the ERA Forum for discussion and possible further follow-up, for instance towards the Council.
- Through the PKH, the Commission also wants to engage in strategic discussions on key policy issues to ensure strategic steering and political guidance on the policy approach and progress of the European Partnerships. From 2023 onwards, If and when deemed relevant by the PKH, the outcome of these discussions will also be channelled to the ERA Forum for a further discussion from the perspective of coordination and implementation of the ERA objectives, particularly in implementing the ERA Policy Agenda.
- European Commission, Partnership Knowledge Hub: Member States, Associated Countries,
- European Partnerships respectively the partners (industry, universities, research organisations, bodies with a public service mission at local, regional, national or international level or civil society organisations including foundations and NGOs