ABOUT EUREKA

EUREKA is an intergovernmental initiative, gathering 49 countries. The goal is to enhance growth and competitiveness within the European industry, through the promotion of international cooperation programs in industrial R&D, that support the development of products, processes, or innovative services, based in advanced technologies and with potential in the global market.

Although mainly addressed to companies, the projects may also engage with entities from the scientific and technological system.

THE PORTUGUESE CHAIRMANSHIP

1st July 2021 – 30th June 2022

The Portuguese Chairmanship of the Eureka network in 2021 succeeds to the Presidency of the Council of European Union (January-June 2021), and coincides with the co-presidency by Portugal of the Council of the European Space Agency (ESA) also during the year 2021.

The Portuguese Chairmanship wishes to contribute to the success of EUREKA by building up on the work done by the Austrian Chairmanship while following the strategic priorities of the recently approved Eureka Strategic Roadmap for 2021-27.

Download the Chairmanship booklet.

Amongst the achievements of the Portuguese Chairmanship

  • Increase the global outreach of Eureka network

    By encouraging worldwide R&D&I collaboration, exploring global cooperation opportunities, especially in Africa and Latin America and boosting Globalstars calls. The collaboration with international organizations with important innovative components will also be promoted.

  • Enhance new forms of cooperation for effective R&D&I programmes

    Through the incorporation of new memberships and support of cooperation activities in non EU countries, along with the enhancement of synergies with national R&D&I instruments. Equally important is the successful launch of Eurostars 3 programme and the strengthening of the relations with the EU within Horizon Europe, including EU Missions, as well the promotion of a consolidated link to the Green Deal by consolidating new programs: Innowwide, InvestHorizon.

  • Strengthening the Eureka Positioning by reinforcing the mechanisms for the generation of projects

    Contributing to the revitalization of the Eureka Clusters Programme by implementing a new governance model, ensuring greater compromise from public authorities on the funding of projects, intensifying the participation of industrial key-players at the board of Clusters’ governance structures and promoting collaboration and “cross-fertilisation” between Clusters through the organisation of joint calls. In addition, a joint thematic call with all clusters for space related technologies which would include:

    • Promotion of projects linked with the Green Deal in areas like Earth Observation from Space
    • Increase synergies between space – oceans – atmosphere – climate leading to a “Digital Twin Earth”
    • Promotion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its combination with Earth Observation systems data
    • Network expansion towards Europe-Africa and Europe-Latin America interactions.

    Active dialogue with the key industrial players is essential, as Eureka is a bottom-up organization and the trigger of projects is at the industry as well as promoting, as far as possible, the voluntary synchronization of evaluation and funding among the Network.

  • Adding value to the Eureka label

    By underlining the differentiation of EUREKA from other R&D programmes, organising the Eureka’s Global Innovation Summit 2022 and the Eureka Ministerial Meeting in June 2022, in Lisbon, along with promotions of Eureka awards.

For the third time since becoming one of the 18 founding member states of the EUREKA Network in 1985, Portugal will hold the Chairmanship of EUREKA: the world’s biggest public network for international cooperation in R&D and innovation, present in over 45 countries.

In former chairmanships, Portugal paved the way to opening EUREKA to international markets beyond European borders, namely:

  • in 1997-98, when it opened the EUREKA Network to Asian markets, organizing the EUREKA [meets] Asia Brokerage event and a European Technology Exhibition in Macao (China).
  • in 2008-09, when it was responsible for the membership of South Korea as an associate country.

Since then, the EUREKA Network’s global outreach was extended to over 45 European member states, including as associated and partner countries: Argentina, Bosnia& Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, Singapore, South Africa, and South Korea.

Over the years, EUREKA has tailored programmes to best support international industry-led R&D projects. These offer flexibility for international partners (Network projects and Globalstars), encourage mixed consortia with large companies (EUREKA Clusters), allow SMEs to aim higher (Eurostars Programme) and drive companies towards private investment (InvestHorizon).

With flexible programmes, open to startups, SMEs, large companies, research organisations and universities, EUREKA has, since 1985, mobilized 48.4 billion euro of public funding to organisations, supporting the success of 7,496 R&D projects.

Portugal remains very committed to the success of Eureka as a longstanding international R&I collaborative network, where research and industry work together for the development of new products, processes and services “close to the market”, using a flexible, bottom-up and dynamic model and pooling significant amounts of public funding for R&D projects from its member states.

EUREKA Portuguese Coordination

Portuguese Chairmanship Team info@eurekaportugal2021-22.pt

Alexandra Frazão | Executive Secretary
alexandra.frazao@aircentre.org
+351 217 231 062