EUROPE DIRECT CONTACT CENTRE: BREXIT HELPLINE FOR CITIZENS

As we are approaching the end of the transition period on 1 January 2021, the Europe Direct Contact Centre (EDCC) – the EU’s single phone number for citizens – will remain at the disposal of citizens, businesses and stakeholders to answer Brexit-related questions in all 24 official languages. Questions related to the UK will be treated as a matter of priority. This is part and parcel of the EU’s overall readiness for the end of the transition period. The Contact Centre is available via free phone from all Member States and the United Kingdom (00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11) and by webform: https://europa.eu/european-union/contact_en

€95.5 billion for 2021-2027 HORIZON EUROPE

The Commission welcomes the political agreement between the European Parliament and the Council on Horizon Europe, the largest transnational programme ever supporting research and innovation. The new EU research and innovation programme will have a budget of around €95.5 billion for 2021-2027 (current prices). This includes €5.4 billion (current prices) from NextGenerationEU to boost our recovery and make the EU more resilient for the future, as well as an additional reinforcement of €4.5 billion (current prices). This represents a 30% increase vis-à-vis the current research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020 (comparing Horizon Europe against Horizon 2020 for EU27, in constant prices) and makes it the most ambitious research and innovation programme in the world.
Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, said: “Today’s agreement marks a very important milestone for Europe. With Horizon Europe programme, the European research community, research organisations and our citizens can count on the world’s largest research and innovation programme. It is our main tool to strengthen our scientific and technological base, develop solutions for healthier living, drive digital transformation and fight climate change, for our collective resilience.”
Horizon Europe will promote excellence and provide valuable support to top researchers and innovators to drive the systemic changes needed to ensure a green, healthy and resilient Europe. It will drive scientific excellence through the European Research Council (ERC) to enable our most excellent researchers to push the frontiers of knowledge to tackle our economic and social challenges. The Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowships and exchanges will help the best talent, young researchers, to expand on their knowledge and skills, and Europe will benefit from the scientific advice, technical support and dedicated research of the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the Commission’s science and knowledge service.
The programme will also support collaborative research relating to our societal challenges and reinforces technological and industrial capacities through thematic clusters that address the full spectrum of global challenges. For example, Horizon Europe’s Climate Energy and Mobility cluster and the Digital Industry and Space cluster will scale up R&I resources in climate-related domains and ensures that European enterprises have access to the technologies and data they need. In the latter, Quantum Research will be prioritised thereby expanding the European scientific leadership and excellence in quantum technologies. The cluster Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society has been reinforced, supporting research and innovation in the cultural and creative sectors, cultural heritage, through building cultural heritage collaborative space as well humanities and arts. Its Health cluster will tackle challenges such as the coronavirus pandemic, the extension of clinical trials, innovative protective measures, virology, vaccines, treatments and diagnostics, and the translation of research findings into public health policy measures.
The European missions will focus on ambitious, time-bound and achievable goals to deliver on common European goods. They aim at achieving by 2030 3 million lives saved from cancer diseases, 100 climate neutral cities, healthy oceans, seas and internal waters, healthy soils and food, resilient to climate changes regions. A streamlined number of European Partnerships will encourage wide participation of partners from public and private sectors, covering critical areas such as energy, transport, biodiversity, health, food and circularity.
As knowledge has no territorial boundaries, Horizon Europe will also encourage participation, decrease the R&I gap, and strengthen the European Research Area (ERA) through a wide spectrum of measures to support lower R&I performing countries, to build up excellence centres, to improve their capacity and facilitate collaborative links. 3.3% of the programme’s budget will be allocated to this which is a significant increase compared to Horizon 2020.
Additionally, the programme will introduce new features such as the European Innovation Council (EIC) and EU missions. The EIC, which is already running in a pilot phase, will receive over €10 billion in budget to provide support for emerging and breakthrough innovations by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), start-ups, and midcaps. It will complement the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). European innovation ecosystems will be boosted by connecting with regional and national innovation actors. EU missions aim to tackle issues that affect our daily lives, ranging from fighting cancer to adapting to climate change, living in greener cities, ensuring soil health for food, nature, people and climate, and protecting our waters and ocean.
Horizon Europe will increase its impact by working closely together with other EU programmes and policies, such as InvestEU, Erasmus+, EU Cohesion Policy, Digital Europe, European Structural and Investment Funds, Connecting Europe Facility, and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, to promote faster dissemination at national and regional level, and uptake of research and innovation results. For the first time in the history of the framework programme, regions, on a voluntary basis, can transfer part of their regional funds to Horizon Europe to be used in research and innovation activities in their region. The Commission has also proposed to exempt the Seal of Excellence SME projects under Horizon Europe from notification when it comes to state aid to further facilitate the support. This is possible because of safeguards embedded in EU programmes managed centrally by the Commission.
Next steps
This political agreement is now subject to formal approval by the European Parliament and Council. Since the provisional agreement in March 2019, the Commission has been preparing Horizon Europe’s implementation in order to start the programme as soon as possible in 2021.
Background
With only 7% of the world’s population, Europe accounts for 20% of global R&D investment, produces one third of all high-quality scientific publications, and holds a world leading position in industrial sectors such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, mechanical engineering and fashion. Research and innovation has been key to battle the coronavirus outbreak. €1 billion from Horizon 2020 has been pledged to ensure collaborative development and universal deployment of diagnostics, treatments and vaccines. Horizon Europe will have a strong degree of continuity with Horizon 2020, the current EU research and innovation programme (2014-2020): three pillars, excellence at the core, and maintaining the tested funding rules and procedures of Horizon 2020. But it has been improved to maximise its impact, its relevance to society and its potential for breakthrough innovation.
On 10 November 2020, a political agreement was reached between the European Parliament, EU Member States in the Council as well as the Commission on the next long-term EU budget and NextGenerationEU. As a next step, the legal adoption of the MFF package by the Council and the European Parliament along with the ratification of the Own Resources Decision is now urgently needed. Once adopted, the EU’s long-term budget, coupled with the NextGenerationEU initiative, which is a temporary instrument designed to drive the recovery of Europe, will be the largest stimulus package ever financed through the EU budget. A total of €1.8 trillion (in 2018 prices) will help rebuild a post-COVID-19 Europe. It will be a greener, more digital and more resilient Europe.
For More Information
•Horizon Europe, general overview (factsheet):https://ec.europa.eu/info/files/horizon-europe-eu-research-and-innovation-programme-2021-2027-general-overview_en
•coronavirus research and innovation:https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/research-area/health-research-and-innovation/coronavirus-research-and-innovation_en
•Horizon Europe webpage:https://ec.europa.eu/info/horizon-europe_en
•Recovery plan:https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/recovery-plan-europe_en
•2021-2027 long-term EU budget & Next Generation EU: https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/eu-budget/long-term-eu-budget/eu-budget-2021-2027_en

Citizen Engagement and Deliberative Democracy Festival

The Festival is an open event, aiming to bring together people that are interested in, and working on, citizen engagement and deliberative democracy. Events such as the Citizen Engagement and Deliberative Democracy Festival are more critical than ever in contributing to public and policy discussions on the future of democracy and how to implement more participatory practices in EU policymaking.

The event features addresses by Commissioner Mariya Gabriel as well as Vice-Presidents Dubravka Šuica and Věra Jourová, who are coordinating the Commission’s work on ‘A new push for democracy in Europe’ (https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/new-push-european-democracy_en),including the Conference on the Future of Europe and the European Democracy Action Plan.
The week’s agenda also includes thought-provoking discussions with key practitioners on citizen engagement and deliberative democracy policy in the EU, as well as a video exhibition of citizen engagement projects and live artwork.
You can register for the event and find the agenda HERE: https://academy.europa.eu/local/euacademy/pages/course/overview.php?id=124
The festival will be held online this year through the new EU Academy platform:https://academy.europa.eu/local/euacademy/pages/course/overview.php?id=124

EXTENSION OF THE PHOTO CONTEST

“The Representation of the European Commission in Cyprus and Europe Direct Information Centre in Larnaca, are organizing a photo contest entitled “Larnaca, the gateway to Europe”.
Send your favorite photo, highlighting the beauty of Larnaca by 31/10/2020, 12:00 pm at [email protected] and five of you will win a Tablet APPLE iPad 7. All photos will be posted from 01/11/2020 to 19/11/2020 on our Facebook page Europe Direct Information Center in Larnaca and the five photos with the most LIKES will be the winners”

YOUNG TRANSLATORS AT EU SCHOOLS – COMMISSION OPENS REGISTRATION FOR 2020 TRANSLATION CONTEST

The European Commission today announced the launch of its annual translation contest for secondary school students from across Europe, Juvenes Translatores. From midday on 2 September, schools from all EU countries will be able to register online so their students can compete with peers from other EU countries. This year, the participating teenagers will have to translate a text on the topic “Navigating in challenging times – together we are stronger”.
Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn, said: ‘Young people in Europe know how important languages are in today’s society. Not only do they help people understand each other’s cultures and standpoints better, they can help you get a job.
I encourage schools and students to take part in this year’s Juvenes Translatores contest and to discover translation.’
Participants will be able to translate between any 2 of the EU’s 24 official languages (552 possible language combinations). In last year’s contest, students used a total of 150 different combinations.
Registration for schools — the first part of the 2-stage process — is open until midday on 20 October 2020. Teachers can register in any of the EU’s 24 official languages.
After that, the Commission will invite a total of 705 schools to the next stage. The number of schools taking part from each country will be equal to the number of seats the country has in the European Parliament, with the schools selected randomly by computer.
The schools chosen must then nominate 2-5 students to sit the contest. The students can be of any nationality but must be born in 2003.
The contest will be run online on 26 November 2020 in all participating schools.
The winners — 1 per country — will be announced by early February 2021.
If conditions allow, they will receive their prizes in spring 2021 at a ceremony in Brussels where they will also have a chance to meet professional translators from the Commission and get to know more about working with languages.
Background
The Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation has organised the Juvenes Translatores (Latin for ‘young translators’) contest every year since 2007. The contest promotes language learning in schools and gives young people a taste of what it is like to be a translator. It is open to 17-year-old secondary school students and takes place simultaneously in all selected schools across the EU.
The contest has inspired and encouraged some participants to continue with language learning at university level and go on to become professional translators. The contest also provides an opportunity to showcase Europe’s rich linguistic diversity.
https://ec.europa.eu/info/education/skills-and-qualifications/develop-your-skills/language-skills/juvenes-translatores

Call for proposals to support people in vulnerable situations

Check out this open call for proposal on social innovation The call will support innovative and experimental local/regional-level projects aimed at putting in place support to people in vulnerable situations. Amount of the Call: 10 million EUR. Deadline 15 October.

https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=629&langId=en&callId=603&furtherCalls=yes

2,450 Fully Funded Erasmus Mundus Scholarship 2020 2021

Keep calm and now ready for 2,450 Fully Funded Erasmus Mundus Scholarship 2020 2021. The Erasmus Mundus Scholarship for International Students to Study in three Different Universities in three different countries from the European Union. Erasmus is a Fully Funded all Expenses covered Prestigious Scholarship Program
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/emjmd-catalogue_en

Photo contest “Larnaca, the gateway to Europe

The Representation of the European Commission in Cyprus and Europe Direct Information Centre in Larnaca, are organizing a photo contest entitled “Larnaca, the gateway to Europe”.
Send your favourite photo, highlighting an EU co-financed project in Larnaca by 30/09/2020, 12:00 pm at [email protected] and five of you will win a Tablet APPLE iPad 7. All photos will be posted from 01/10/2020 to 19/10/2020 on our Facebook page Europe Direct Information Centre in Larnaca and the five photos with the most LIKES will be the winners

OPEN CALL! A call for tenders has been published to support the cross-border circulation and digital distribution of performing arts works.

A new call, worth 2,5 million euros, has been published to support the cross-border circulation and digital distribution of performing arts works – theatre, dance, circus, street art -, to help the sector recover and regain its European dimension.

📆 Deadline: 31 July 2020

https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/content/european-commission-support-performing-arts-%E2%82%AC25-million-distribution_en?fbclid=IwAR1Du2aejmT3mEMWhREfdnQ1nLhEPaDWGQs4PBjvTkxOgIzOlIQoPVtrf4g

Tuition fees & Scholarship opportunities in Europe

Everything you always wanted to know about tuition fees and scholarships

https://ec.europa.eu/education/study-in-europe/news-views/tuition-and-scholarships-in-europe_en?fbclid=IwAR00lYvEsYTxRWdWi6dyjDrfrti-S2rx7RvhGjB1j7tOePzNOZk8S6SD-WY