COSPAR 44th Scientific Assembly

16 July 2022 @ 8:00 am 24 July 2022 @ 5:00 pm UTC+1

The COSPAR 44th Scientific Assembly will take place in Athens, Greece from 16-24 July 2022 at the Megaron Athens International Conference Centre.

Planetary sessions include:

  • B0.1 Comparative Planetology
  • B0.2 Space Resources
  • B1.1 Small Body Exploration Sciences: From the Solar System to Interstellar Objects
  • B1.2 Kuiper Belt and Trans-Neptunian Objects
  • B1.3 Astrochemistry and Composition as Ariadne’s Threads for Planet
  • B2.1 Space Geodetic Reference Systems and Frames: Current State and Future Challenges for Geodynamical Investigations
  • B3.1 Lunar Science and Exploration
  • B3.2 Human and Robotic Exploration of the Moon and Synergy with Mars and Asteroids Formation
  • B4.1 Venus Science and Exploration
  • B4.2 Mars Science Results
  • B4.3 Forward Planning for the Exploration of Mars
  • B4.4 Mars Sample Return
  • B4.5 Mercury
  • B5.1 Ocean Worlds
  • B5.2 Giant Planets and their Systems
  • B6.1_E4.1 Exoplanet Detection and Characterisation: Current Research, Future Opportunities and the Search for Life Outside the Solar System
  • C3.1 Planetary Atmospheres

Invitation – ESFRI 20th Anniversary Conference

European Research Infrastructures at the heart of scientific discoveries

Dear Colleagues, 

The French Presidency of the Council of the EU and the Académie de sciences, with the support off the European Commission, are pleased to invite you to celebrate ESFRI’s 20th anniversary in Paris on 25 March 2022 at a specific conference that will discuss both the achievements and the future. During this day, prestigious guests will illustrate the connection between European scientific excellence in research and innovation on the one hand, and research infrastructures on the other. 

This conference takes place under the high patronage of the Académie des sciences. It will bring together the many players who make up the ecosystems formed around these infrastructures: representatives of States, regions or local authorities, representatives of the industry, facility managers and, of course, researchers. Together, they will explore the dynamics of the development of a European landscape rich in research infrastructures and that has continuously grown over the past twenty years. Emerging trends and challenges for the future will be discussed as well. 

Two scientific sessions will feature outstanding scientists and young researchers, who will share with the audience major works and discoveries that have benefited from these infrastructures.  

The conference will be open to researchers, students and to the general public.

Please register your request to attend using this form by 5 March 2022. Participation requires physical presence. 

More information on the conference program are available at the event page. Please refer to www.esfri.eu and follow @ESFRI_eu on Twitter to stay up-to-date.

The French Presidency of the EU and ESFRI

Workshop: Share your views – How to support and connect policymaking in the EU and Member States with scientific research

9 March 2022 @ 2:30 pm 5:30 pm CET

The participatory online workshop “Share your views – How to support and connect policymaking in the EU and Member States with scientific research” is taking place on 9th March 2022 14:30-17:30 (CET). Jointly organised by the European Commision’s JRC and DG RTD. 

For further information and pre-registrations visit the event website here.

Europlanet Society Webinar (22 February 2022): Pathway to Writing Proposals with Impact

Europlanet Society Webinar (Tuesday, 22 February 2022): Pathway to Writing Proposals with Impact, 14:00 CET

The section on impact is as important as the sections on scientific excellence and management in EU funding bids, but consortia preparing proposals often struggle to know how to approach it. The template for Horizon Europe proposals is shorter and more structured than for previous funding frameworks, and requires applicants to set out a credible pathway to sustainable outcomes and impact.

This webinar introduces:

  • How to plan your impact section
  • How to make sure that it matches the requirements of the call
  • What is meant by communication, dissemination and exploitation
  • How to define an evaluation framework for outcomes and wider societal impacts.

The webinar is led by Anita Heward (Communications Manager, Europlanet 2024 RI) and Jen DeWitt (Evaluation Officer, Europlanet 2024 RI).

Watch the recording

Presentation slides

Download the slides:

Impact Evaluation – Evaluation Framework (Jen DeWitt)

Pathways to Writing Proposals with Impact (Anita Heward)

All events for Europlanet Society Members

Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) 2022

18 September 2022 23 September 2022 UTC+2

The intention of the Europlanet Science Congress 2022 is to cover a broad area of science topics related to planetary science and planetary missions. The programme of the congress will contain oral and poster sessions, as well as workshops and panel discussions and provide with ample opportunities for interaction between the participants.

Horizon Europe Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in 2022/2023

Horizon Europe Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in 2022/2023

As the Horizon Europe Programme gets underway, there are many disparate calls that may be appropriate for the Europlanet community to apply for.

Prof Nigel Mason has prepared a summary for Europlanet Society Members on opportunities for the planetary community in the MSCA Programme for 2022 (2023) with details of the relevant upcoming calls.

For detailed discussion of the programme and management at the briefing last week (30 November) please see the following sites for details:

Full Work Programme

About Marie Curie Actions

See the summary of upcoming Horizon Europe Space Programme calls in 2022/2023

14th European Space Conference

14th European Space Conference

An aspiring event will take place on 25-26 January 2022 in Brussels, the 14th European Space Conference, organized by Business Bridge Europe.

The yearly high-level gathering of key stakeholders of the European space activities will return to the Egmont Palace in Brussels for a hybrid event of dynamic and thought-provoking debates and exchanges focusing on the theme:

A New Era for European Space: Turning Vision into Action

The Conference is an ideal event for extensive space policy work, providing the opportunity to European space actors to network and debate on the increasing importance of space for society, economy, climate, environment, security and defense, as well as on new priorities and initiatives that will be crucial to ensuring that Europe remains a leader in space.

Online participation is also foreseen during the whole duration of the event through the European Space Conference virtual platform.

European Research and Innovation Days 2021 Conference Report

The report of the 2021 European Research and Innovation Days taking place earlier this year, was published on 13 of December, the third edition of its kind. It contains summaries and quotes from the event’s 70 online live sessions and workshops, as well as from over 200 consultations between participants and Commission representatives at the virtual Horizon Village.

“European Research and Innovation Days” is the European Commission’s annual flagship Research and Innovation event, bringing together over 21,000 participants, policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs and the public to debate and shape the future of research and innovation in Europe and beyond.

The most notable conclusions include:

  • Europe’s collaborative research and innovation at the global scale are key drivers for a greener, healthier and more digital future for all.
  • Europe needs more synergies between policies, programmes and instruments at EU, global, national and local level to remain at the forefront of research and innovation, and to be effective at delivering a sustainable future;
  • Citizens need to continue having the opportunity to add their voice to the conversation about the future of European research and innovation. Civil society can play a crucial role when it comes to implementing the ambitious goals of the twin green and digital transitions of Europe.

The report will serve as a basis for discussions at the Conference on the Future of Europe and will also contribute to other citizen engagement initiatives.

The report and the event recordings are available for consulting and download.

Upcoming Calls in the Horizon Europe Space Programme

Upcoming Calls in the Horizon Europe Space Programme

Last week, there was a briefing on the Horizon Europe Space programme. The Programme has been one of the later ones to be completed and the timelines for calls are now rather tight (mainly 16 February 2022). However, there are topics where the Europlanet community can and should engage and some consortia have already started to form.

Prof Nigel Mason has prepared a summary for Europlanet Society Members on the Horizon Europe Space Programme for 2022 (2023) with details of the relevant upcoming calls.

For detailed discussion of the programme and management at the briefing last week (30 November) please see the following sites for details:

Full Work Programme

Cluster 4 – Digital, Industry & Space Info Day Details

Full presentations and recording of the day

The European Business Summit 2021

The European Business Summit 2021

With the theme “Beyond recovery: Towards a sustainable and innovative Europe,” the European Business Summit (EBS) 2021 is taking place on the 17th and 18th November 2021 as a hybrid event. The event will reflect on businesses’ contribution to the EU’s economic recovery plans, the Green Deal, and the post-Covid-19 roadmap.

You can now register to attend the event.

Browse the programme>>

More information>>

World Space Forum 2021 – ‘Space 4 Climate Action’

The World Space Forum series has become one of the global platforms for facilitating exchanges on best practices and more inter-agency collaboration in support of the internationally agreed global frameworks.

Building on the success of the conferences held in 2019 and 2020, UNOOSA invites you to register for the World Space Forum 2021 to take place fully virtually from 7 – 9 December 2021.

The World Space Forum 2021 programme will offer a platform for showcasing concrete governmental, commercial, academic and civil society actions in support of the work of the United Nations, especially in addressing the climate crisis.

More information about the WSF2021 incl. the latest version of the programme can be found on the UNOOSA website.

Conference on the Future of Europe

European citizens have the opportunity to debate on Europe’s challenges and priorities and stress concrete recommendations for EU action, through the Conference on the Future of Europe. The Conference is placed under the authority of the three institutions: the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission, who have committed to listen to Europeans and to follow up on the recommendations made. 

European citizens, most notably the young ones from all the corners of the European Union, participate in the Conference aspiring to shape the future of Europe. The main components of the Conference are decentralized events, European citizens’ panels, conference plenaries, as well as communication via a multilingual digital platform.

The challenges facing Europe in recent years have made clear the need for open, inclusive and transparent debate about our common future. For this reason, the conference is a unique open forum that enables all Europeans to say what the Union should do and how it should do it to the benefit of all.  Given that, Europe needs to deliver on issues that lie at the heart of citizens’ interest at the economic, social, health and security levels, by putting forward a set of concrete proposals and guidelines.

The Conference on the Future of Europe provides an opportunity to reflect on how to make the EU even better, stronger and more resilient. In order to address the aforementioned issues, the Conference recognizes the need to improve and create a genuine dialogue between citizens and institutions on the Future of the EU and the big challenges of our time.  

One of the key components of the Conference on the Future of Europe is the Plenary Conference, taking place on the weekend of 23-24 October. It was composed of representatives from the three European Institutions, from all national Parliaments, from the EYF, as well as the European Citizen’s panels.

The final outcome of the Conference will be presented in a report, while the three institutions will examine swiftly how to follow up effectively to this report in accordance with the treaties.

For more information:

https://futureu.europa.eu/pages/about

https://futureu.europa.eu/pages/plenary

Promoting industry-academia knowledge exchange through co-creation teams

The Commission has tested a new concept to promote demand-driven industry-academia knowledge exchange and uptake: the setting up of international co-creation teams of students and researchers to tackle companies’ research and innovation challenges. A recently published feasibility study shows the benefit.

Industry-academia interactions are key to knowledge valorisation. They foster a mutually benefitting exchange between knowledge generators and business actors, boost private investments in research, lead to more inventions and patents, facilitate the flow of latest technologies and talents into companies, enhance researchers’ and students’ skills and understanding of the market needs, and nurture an entrepreneurial mind-set.

In line with the new European Research Area and the European Skills Agenda, the study tested the feasibility of a co-creation-based model in a European-wide setup that complements the existing university-business collaboration schemes. Five international teams of students, researchers and enterprise representatives were set up. They followed a structured process guided by expert facilitators, which combined elements of design thinking, strategic foresight and systems thinking leveraging creativity from the diversity of the team.

The teams explored challenges related to business and society relevant phenomena, such as platform economy, alternative energy sources, Artificial Intelligence, business models and future consumer behaviour and values. The co-creation process produced concrete scenarios as well as product and service concepts to help participating companies to steer successfully their business and overcome the challenges.

The students who participated in the co-creation teams were highly satisfied. They could develop their personal skills in particular related to creativity, collaboration, entrepreneurship and critical thinking and in terms of presenting a positive image in front of future employers. The participating companies appreciated the experience and considered the co-creation team to be a significant new tool in the business development and in building interactions with academia.

The study clearly shows that the co-creation experience is relevant and adds value for all parties. In addition, it creates innovation sparks and ideas that act as inputs to the next stages of the innovation process.

The lessons learned and the experiences from the feasibility study will give input to the Guiding Principles for knowledge valorisation, which are being prepared, under the new European Research Area (ERA – action 7). The Guiding Principles will update and extend the 2008 Commission Recommendation on the management of intellectual property in knowledge transfer activities, including industry-academia knowledge exchange.

Strengthening and connecting science for policy ecosystems across the EU

The EU Commission is organising a series of short, virtual workshops about ‘science for policy ecosystems’ between September 2020 and September 2022.

Are you working at national, regional, and local level in government, parliament, academia or civil society on improving the use of scientific evidence for policy-making?

Would you like to learn more about Europe’s best practice in evidence-informed policy-making?

Would you be interested in developing your ideas and projects for stronger science for policy ecosystems with like-minded professionals from all over Europe?

Then this opportunity is for you.

Registeration>>

For more information>>

EC Commissioner Breton visits ESA-ESTEC

On Tuesday 7 September ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher took Commissioner Breton on a tour of ESA’s European Space Technology and Research Centre, ESTEC, at Noordwijk in the Netherlands.

They looked in at ESTEC’s Navigation Labaratory, which includes the complete navigation module of a Galileo satellite, kept in cleanroom conditions for technical experiments and trouble shooting.

Commissioner Breton also inspected the six Galileo ‘Batch 3’ satellites currently being tested for space at ESTEC’s Test Centre, the largest satellite test facility in Europe. Two of these Galileo satellites are due for launch later this year.

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2021/09/EC_Commissioner_Breton_visits_ESA-ESTEC

Note on UK Associated Status in Horizon Europe

Note on UK Associated Status in Horizon Europe

Once the UK has Associated status in Horizon Europe, UK-based entities will have equivalent participation rights to those from Member States and can lead projects as coordinators (subject to call specifications). Researchers can participate in all parts of the programme including industrial partnerships, can lead consortia and influence key collaborative projects, and can participate and benefit from programme top-ups for co-funded programmes. However, the UK has opted out of the European Innovation Council Fund, and the EC has the right to focus some initiatives on Member States only.

The following is a link to the European Commission’s Q&A on the UK’s participation in Horizon Europe  members: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/research_and_innovation/strategy_on_research_and_innovation/documents/ec_rtd_uk-participation-in-horizon-europe.pdf

Concerning UK Associated status

This is well in hand – it is part of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) signed on 23 December 2020 – so it is all in place ready to be signed. There are 18 countries associating and none of them have signed the formal agreement yet. In fact, the UK is ahead of most of the other countries as we have the terms of the agreement in place from the TCA. However, this does not limit UK applications, which can now proceed – the Association agreement just has to be in place by the time of the grant signature, which is normally about 8 months after a call deadline at the earliest. UK research agencies and government are strongly encouraging UK community to apply as it did in H2020. National Contact points in Europe Union member states are also confirming to their members that UK involvement is expected and consortia should include UK partners if they are appropriate to the project.

The List of Participating Countries in Horizon Europe, from the European Commission, lists all 18 countries for which ‘association negotiations are being processed or where association is imminent’.

Widening participation in the Horizon Europe Programme

Widening participation in the Horizon Europe Programme

Schematic Diagram of programmes in the Horizon Europe: ‘Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area’ Work programme.
Schematic Diagram of programmes in the Horizon Europe: ‘Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area’ Work programme.

The European Commission has released details of the 11th Work programme, Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Areawith a list of first calls that have deadlines in autumn 2021 and 2022.

While there are some calls for 2022 that have yet to be fully shaped, the overall aims and objectives are clear. The EC is aiming through the Horizon Europe call to increase the inclusion of researchers, institutions and industry in areas that have been and currently are ‘under-represented’ in the Framework and H2020 programmes. This is in response to political comments by governments of those states and the desire to fully exploit the intellectual and creative potential in these member states, which form a quarter of the total EU population. 

None of the programmes in this work programme are specific in terms of topical areas, thus they are open to all areas of science and technology, and areas that address the wider thematic themes of the Horizon Europe programme (the Mission Programmes) are particularly encouraged. 

Europlanet strongly encourages its partners to utilize the Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area work programme to grow and sustain related research in those States where the planetary/space research community is small and developing

Prof Nigel Mason has prepared a short overview for Europlanet Society Members on the Horizon Europe: ‘Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area’ Work programme.

Commission adopts proposal for a Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe

Commission adopts proposal for a Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe

On July 16th, 2021, the European Commission adopted its proposal for a Council Recommendation on “A Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe” to support the implementation of national European Research Area (ERA) policies.

The Pact proposal defines shared priority areas for joint action in support of the ERA, sets out the ambition for investments and reforms, and constitutes the basis for a simplified policy coordination and monitoring process at EU and Member States’ level through an ERA platform where Member States can share their reform and investment approaches to enhance exchanges of best practices.

https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/commission-adopts-proposal-pact-research-and-innovation-europe-2021-jul-16_en