A delegation from the Innovation Department of the Canary Islands Technological Institute (ITC) visited Bilbao to meet with several key agents and initiatives that support and drive the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in the region. For 3 days, they were able to exchange their impressions on the programmes and resources available to improve the rates of innovation and employability in Bizkaia. It was also a great opportunity to connect with R&D&I centres to establish new collaborations and develop joint proposals to participate in European and national calls for proposals.
On the first day, the delegation met with the Department of Employment, Social Inclusion and Equality of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia. Susana González Rómulo, Director General of Employment, and her team informed about the current Employment Plan 2020-2023, among other actions, aimed at supporting and promoting social innovation as a key element of their policies. On the other hand, the Barakaldo Makers, the City Council of Ermua and the Basque Food Cluster presented the methodologies and results of the different programmes developed with the support of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia.
On the same day, the Biscay Federation of Metallurgical Companies presented the “3R Company” project developed with the aim of facilitating the labour insertion of the unemployed in different economic sectors. Later, they were received at the facilities of the Peñascal Cooperative, where they were introduced to the Gazte On Project, an initiative that promotes the inclusion of young people in the labour market.
On the second day, the delegation visited the facilities of DEMA, the Regional Employment and Entrepreneurship Agency. Mairivi Riol, director of DEMA, and her team presented the key aspects of their activity. Most of these projects are related to entrepreneurship and employment, with a strong innovation component that could lead to new cooperation opportunities for ITC.
Finally, the delegation had the opportunity to meet with 3 different R&D&I organisations. The first, Bizkaia Talent, is a non-profit organisation that promotes research, creation, innovation and knowledge transfer to Bizkaia, fostering and facilitating an environment that is attractive to people qualified in these areas. For its part, the University of the Basque Country hosts different employment, entrepreneurship and innovation programmes focused on researchers and graduates. The last visit took place at the Bilbao Berrikuntza Faktoria facilities, a pioneering project for learning, innovation and entrepreneurship, promoted and managed by Mondragon Unibersitatea, in collaboration with the Bilbao City Council.
Therefore, this short mobility has been a great opportunity for the Canary Islands Technological Institute to establish new cooperation networks in the near future with organisations that aim to promote innovation at any social and economic stage. This experience is also an opportunity for the ITC to cooperate with organisations in Bizkaia and improve its participation in EU-funded projects in research and innovation to promote territorial development.
The FORWARD Consortium joined for its final meeting on June 2nd the Royal Library of Belgium. Mr Antonio Lopez Gulias, Project Coordinator from ACIISI summarized all progresses and mentioned the new European Commission communication. Indeed, this official document of May 3rd 2022, which suggested the continuation of Forward’s activities.
The main results of Forward were highlighted. FORWARD has enabled the nine ORs to get to know each other better and to share their assets in terms of research and innovation, to exchange on their potential through the eight thematic working groups. These groups have led to the creation of 9 regional action plans, the submission of two proposals to the Horizon Europe program’s calls for health and marine sciences projects.
Thanks to the FORWARD project, the actors of the ORs have benefited from training on writing proposals, implementation, technical, administrative, and financial management of a Horizon Europe project in order to strengthen their capacity to respond to calls for proposals, and mobilities for their researchers.
In addition, the continuation of the FORWARD program, 2019-2022 has been included in the 26th declaration of the Conference of ORs Presidents held in the Azores on 18 and 19 November 2021. It is also worth noting the strong act of the nine local authorities of the ORs who have signed nine letters of intent to commit to the next OR-izon Network.
To implement the continuation of Forward, a debate will be organized within the consortium on the basis of the main results of each work package to set up the next steps of OR-izon Network.
The Outermost Regions (ORs) play a strategic role for a smart and innovative Europe. FORWARD contributes to optimize the research and innovation ecosystems of the ORs, by developing distinctive expertise and connecting them to international networks.
Official-Press-release-FORWARD-finale-conference-results-BXL-06-13-22.pdf
Press-file-FORWARD-finale-conference-BXL02-06-22KL-25mai22.pdf
Dossier-de-presseFORWARD-BXL02-06-22KL-25mai2022.pdf
In the frame of the FORWARD project and as part of the activities described in the TWG8 Action Plan, ULPGC will be organizing the 3rd and final edition of the TWG 8 projects presentation (Session of successful projects for TWG8) that will take place on 15th June at 14:00 (Brussels time).
As a reminder, the idea of this event is to show to the TWG8 members the ongoing research activities, capabilities, technology developed, potentialities, etc.,
Link to the meeting: Microsoft teams
Agenda : 00.-Agenda_3rd-Project-presentation_TWG8_15062022_1.pdf
FORWARD final conference – June 2, 2022
Registration form: here
Hybrid event:
Onsite: KBR venue Kuntsberg 28, B-1000 – Panorama room – Mont des Arts 28, Brussels
Online: a link to access the conference will be provided upon registration
Agenda: here
FORWARD is the first European project gathering the 9 European Outermost Regions: Azores, Canary Islands, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Madeira, Martinique, Mayotte, Reunion Island, Saint-Martin. The Forward project aims at improving the excellence of the outermost regions in research and innovation.
The FORWARD Consortium is pleased to invite you to the final hybrid (online and face-to-face) conference of the FORWARD project on June 2, 2022 (starting hour: 10h30 CEST).
This virtual and physical event follows the first Island Biology conference held in La Réunion in July 2019 and the second conference organized in conjunction with the annual meeting of LABEX-CEBA (Laboratory of Excellence, Center for the Study of Biodiversity in Amazonia). Open to the outside public, it aims to present the actions and final results of the project, which is coming to an end.
The conference is also an official Partner Event of the EU Green Week.
The expected highlights are the following:
– Presentation of the representatives of the OR monitoring committee and the project coordinator (Canary Islands government)
– Results of the diagnosis of the OR Research and Innovation ecosystems
– Results of the thematic groups set up for the common action plans of the ORs
– Round table with OR experts on the green transition
– Post-Forward perspectives and OR-izon network
The full programme of the conference can be consulted here.
Keys to writing a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship proposal
Within the framework of FORWARD‘s WP4, the IAC partner has organized an online training session on MSCA proposals given by Francisca Gómez Fernández, from INNOSCOPE on May 17 and 24. Francisca is an expert consultant in the European Framework Program and the R&D financing initiatives that are articulated around it. The session’s language will be in English. During the day, attendees will be able to raise any doubts or queries that they consider appropriate related to the topics discussed.
REGISTRATION -> https://cutt.ly/UGls6FY
Registered people will receive the access link a few days before the event.
On Friday may 6th, 2022 the CCISM will be organizing round table entitled « DEVELOPMENT OF A RESEARCH AND INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM FOR ST. MARTIN: CHALLENGES AND LEVERS, from 9h30 to 12h00 (local time), at the CCISM.
Here is the full program :
-Presentation of the FORWARD project
-Capitalizing on high potential sectors in support of research and innovation
-Funding, partnerships, and networks as vectors for developing a local R&I ecosystem
Note that a lunch cocktail will be offered and that the registration is complusary.
The 5th and penultimate newsletter has been released in May 2022. The FORWARD project is about to come to an end after three and a half years, and the final actions underway confirm the interesting perspectives for the outermost regions (ORs), which are asserting their desire to be part of the R&I framework programs on a long-term basis.
The newsletter release provides updates on final networking & research mobilities, networking & capacity building actions, and policy making events organized by our partnership. One can find also more information on the post-FORWARD era and framework for establishing the OR-izon network to promote the continuation of close and long-term collaboration among all 9 ORs.
Last but not least, the newsletter provides updates about the project final international conference taking place in a hybrid format (online and in Brussels) on 2nd June 2022.
The newsletter can be accessed here. Have a good read!
As part of the FORWARD project, on May 3 , 2022, the Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique (CTM) is organizing a symposium on Food Security.
Faced with the consequences of climate change and the erosion of biodiversity, a crucial issue is to develop and promote the transition towards sustainable agricultural systems, which at the same time respond to environmental, economic and social challenges in order to ensure the security food for present and future generations.
The objectives of the seminar:
- Seek territorial anchoring which seeks to re-establish the link between agriculture and society, in particular by promoting local and quality supply, and makes it possible to support the jobs they represent throughout the territory;
- Stimulate a new impetus in favor of research for sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition.
This seminar is aimed at our stakeholders in the research and innovation ecosystem and will be translated into English.
The final agenda can be accessed online here.
It will take place at the CTM and will also be broadcast online. Details connections to join the event remotely are the following:
ID de réunion : 980 1297 2388
Code secret : 556221
The Regional Fund for Science and Technology (FRCT), promotes, on February 11th, at 09:00 am (AZORES), on the digital platform Teams, the WP4 capacity building action “Strategic Management of Partnerships: from Networking to Excellence”, under the European project FORWARD.
This capacity-building action, directed to the Regional Ecosystem of Research & Innovation (R&I), aims to train the actors of the regional ecosystem in the use of new instruments and funding tools of the new Horizon Europe Framework Programme.