[Community] [Grant] The African Union-European Union Innovation Platform

Wed Jan 24 09:06:21 UTC 2024

Source
https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-eie-2024-connect-01-01?tenders=false&programmePart=&callIdentifier=HORIZON-EIE-2024-CONNECT-01

ExpectedOutcome:

Strengthening Research and Innovation (R&I) cooperation between the African
Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) is a key priority of the EU
Communication Towards a comprehensive Strategy with Africa[1]
<https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/#fn1>, in
which the role of R&I is recognised as a driver for sustainable and
inclusive economic growth and job generation, thereby reducing poverty and
inequalities. The first R&I Ministerial meeting of the AU-EU High-Level
Policy Dialogue on Science, Technology and Innovation (HLPD on STI) agreed
to focus cooperation in four priority areas: Public Health, Green
Transition, Innovation & Technology, and Capacities for Science, and also
agreed to the development of a joint AU-EU Innovation Agenda, which is
currently under preparation, and expected to be adopted at the second AU-EU
R&I Ministerial in early 2023.

This topic contributes to the priority areas of action (number 9) listed in
the Council Conclusions on the Future Governance European Research Area[2]
<https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/#fn2> with
regard to launching a pilot initiative on the Team Europe approach for a
specific world region and/or topic.

This topic is also in support of the key actions mentioned in the Council
Conclusions on the Global approach to Research and Innovation - the EU's
strategy for international cooperation in changing world[3]
<https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/#fn3>, in
particular at point twenty-nine related to the AU-EU Partnership, aiming at
developing a joint EU-AU Research and Innovation Agenda in support of
building research capacities and translating research outputs, including
those from the ‘Africa Initiative’ under the Horizon Europe Work Programmes
2021-2022, into socio-economic and environmental benefits, in line with the
agreement reached at the 2020 EU-AU R&I Ministerial meeting.

The action funded under this topic will have the objective of supporting
the implementation of the AU-EU Innovation Agenda. The action is expected
to bring together a mix of EU and AU innovation stakeholders, from academia
and business, including higher education establishments, public and private
research entities, non-governmental organisations, international finance
institutions, incubators and accelerators, technology transfer and capacity
building and higher learning organisations.

The aim of the topic will be to foster the links and networks between
innovation stakeholders from the AU and EU innovation ecosystems, also
including the social innovation dimension.

Proposals addressing this topic should in particular contribute to the
following outcomes:

   - Support the implementation of the AU-EU Innovation Agenda by providing
   for a convening platform enabling the elaboration and proposal of
   implementation modalities of specific actions already included in the
   current AU-EU Innovation Agenda. In particular and in practice, this action
   would enable the attainment of several short-term actions foreseen in the
   working document of the Innovation Agenda for two thematic areas (e.g.
   “Cross-cutting issues” and “Capacities for science”), aiming to:
      - Foster the establishment of links and networks among stakeholders
      across the innovation value chains, from the generation of ideas to
      development and implementation of innovations, including private
and public
      sectors, higher education and research organisations, financial
      institutions, and civil society organisations;
      - Involve citizens in the innovation ecosystems, to improve societal
      uptake of innovation outputs, and valorise creative and collective
      intelligence, ensuring also gender equality and active participation of
      youths;
      - Strengthen coordination and cooperation between AU and EU
      innovation programmes and various implementing institutions, ensuring
      knowledge transfer, capacity building and mobility opportunities,
      consistent with the socio-economic needs of the concerned AU and EU
      countries or regions.
   - Facilitate, conceptually and logistically, the organisation of annual
   or bi-annual meetings with key innovation stakeholders from the EU and the
   AU. By doing so, provide a forum for discussion and planning of the
   implementation of other short-, medium- and long-term actions of the AU-EU
   Innovation Agenda;
   - Provide further de-risking support to Eureka-funded small and medium
   sized-enterprises (SMEs), that have previously benefitted from Viability
   Assessment Projects (VAPs) under Eureka’s Innowwide, by shortening the
   time-to-market of their innovative solutions and enhancing the uptake of
   innovations in European and African countries.

Scope:

*Target group(s):* *Networks of start-ups, innovators, incubators,
accelerators, academia, research and technology organisations (public and
private sector), think tanks, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil
society organisations, private and financial actors.*

With the objective of guaranteeing a multidisciplinary approach, the
selected consortium should be composed of diverse stakeholders (e.g.
networks of start-ups, innovators, incubators, accelerators, academia,
research and technology organisations, think tanks, NGOs, private and
financial sectors, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology's
(EIT) Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), etc.).

Following the end of the project, this platform is expected to continue
operations without funding from Horizon Europe. Therefore, the development
of a sustainability plan is requested.

[1] <https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/#r1>Towards
a comprehensive Strategy with Africa JOIN(2020) 4 final
<http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52020JC0004>.

[2] <https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/#r2>More
information under *“New Pact and governance structure for the European
Research Area (ERA).”
<https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2021/11/26/new-pact-and-governance-structure-for-the-european-research-area-era/>*

[3] <https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/#r3>More
information under *“Council agrees on a global approach to research and
innovation.”
<https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2021/09/28/council-agrees-on-a-global-approach-to-research-and-innovation/>*
Show less

*Dr. Maïssa Mbaye*
Enseignant Chercheur en Informatique
Section(eq. Department) Informatique
UFR(eq. FAC) de Sciences Appliquées et de Technologies
Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis
Email : maissa.mbaye at ugb.edu.sn
Site : https://sites.google.com/site/maissambaye/ ; http://www.ugb.sn/

http://www.ascii.org.sn/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.wacren.net/pipermail/community/attachments/20240124/58ab4f8b/attachment-0001.htm>