Widening countries applaud the contribution centres of excellence make to bridging the innovation divide

24 May 2023 | News

Almost ten years on, the EU-funded centres are strengthening research and innovation performance. Now the challenge is to ensure they are sustainable and can thrive on their own long term

Anna Panagopoulou, director of the European Research Area and Innovation at DG Research, speaking at a roundtable discussion in Warsaw about the Teaming for Excellence instrument under Horizon Europe's Widening programme. Photo: Krajowy Punkt Kontaktowy / Twitter

One of the key moves to address long-standing disparities in R&D performance across European countries is Teaming for Excellence, introduced as part of the Widening scheme under the Horizon 2020 programme, to set up and foster centres of excellence in Widening countries through strategic partnerships with leading institutions abroad.

Almost a decade after the initiative launched, stakeholders from research, industry, regional authorities, national governments and EU institutions gathered at a roundtable discussion in Warsaw, organised by Science|Business and Poland’s research funding agency NCBR, to draw lessons from what has been achieved to date and debate whether the initiatives are still fit for purpose.

Anna Panagopoulou, director of the European Research Area and Innovation at DG Research said many centres of excellence not only engage in basic research, but also contribute to policymaking.<…

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