"Towards a Competence Framework for Knowledge Valorisation Intermediaries": training and workshops
2026-06-03 09:30 - 16:00 (Europe/Rome) | MONDRIAN (RTD CDMA), Rue du Champ de Mars 21, Brussels, Belgium
The European Commission is organizing an interactive workshop in Brussels on 3 June 2026, from 9:30 to 16:00, dedicated to the crucial role of knowledge valorisation intermediaries. These professionals—including technology transfer officers, knowledge brokers, and innovation managers—are essential for bridging the gap between academia, industry, and public institutions.
Given their important role in the research and innovation ecosystem throughout Europe, the ERA Policy Agenda 2025–2027 includes a specific initiative to build the capacity of intermediaries to strengthen links between academia, industry, and public authorities. The goal of this workshop is to develop a shared competence framework to professionalize these roles across the European Research Area.
If you are an intermediary or a research and innovation actor interacting with them and would like to exchange views on this initiative, this workshop offers a unique platform for dialogue. The session aims to map the key roles, activities, and competencies of intermediaries, creating a mapping that will be used to develop a customizable framework of competencies at the organizational level across the European Research Area.
By participating in these hands-on workshop sessions in Brussels, you will have the opportunity to contribute directly to the definition of the skills that will set the European standard for innovation professionals. Furthermore, the event provides a valuable opportunity to gain early access to the European Commission’s strategic vision and to network in person with EU policy makers and peers from across Europe.
For more detailed information, the event agenda, and to access the registration form, please visit the official event page.
Please note: participation is free, but registration is mandatory via the EU Survey form. There is limited room capacity; therefore, we advise you to register as soon as possible.

Horizon Europe Clean Industrial Deal 2026 Calls - Networking & Brokerage Event
2026-06-08 14:00 - 19:00 | BSP/NCBR Office, Rue Belliard 40 (5th floor), Brussels
The NCP4Industry Plus and GREENET National Contact Point (NCP) networks, in collaboration with the NCBR Office in Brussels, are organizing a high-level networking and brokerage event dedicated to the upcoming 2026 Horizon Europe calls under the Clean Industrial Deal. The event will take place on 8 June 2026, from 14:00 to 19:00.
Hosted onsite in Brussels, this international event is designed to support researchers, industries, and stakeholders in navigating the new funding opportunities aimed at accelerating Europe’s industrial decarbonization and clean energy transition.
The main objective of the event is to provide participants with a unique platform to identify innovative pathways for implementing net-zero carbon solutions across European industries.
Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in targeted brokerage sessions, pitch their project ideas, and establish direct contact with potential international partners to build competitive consortia for the upcoming 2026 Horizon Europe proposal submissions.
This event is highly recommended for researchers, technology providers, industrial players, SMEs, and research managers from the University of Siena who are actively looking for partners or aiming to join international consortia within Horizon Europe Clusters focusing on climate, energy, and sustainable industry.
For full details regarding the agenda, speakers, and registration modalities, please consult the official communication channels of the organizing networks:

Official Event Announcement: HE Clean Industrial Deal Calls – Save the Date
GREENET Network: Horizon Europe NCP Portal – Cluster 5
NCP4Industry Portal: NCP4Industry+ Official Website
Co-organizer Info: NCBR Brussels Office

HoliFood & FoodSafeR Final Event
2026-06-10 09:00 - 2026-06-11 15:35 | Omnia Building, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
The final conference of the EU-funded HOLiFOOD and FoodSafeR projects will take place on 10 –11 June 2026 in Wageningen, the Netherlands, and will showcase key scientific outcomes from both projects. Over two days, participants will discuss how innovative tools, data-driven approaches, and cross-disciplinary collaboration can strengthen Europe’s capacity to detect, predict, and manage emerging food safety risks.
The programme covers:

Artificial intelligence and data-driven prediction of emerging hazards.

Multi-stakeholder approach to co-design food safety tools.

Information, guidelines, and advice on emerging risks through a digital hub.

Food safety challenges in novel and low-regulated food production systems.

Advanced analytical and detection methods for chemical and microbiological hazards.

Holistic risk assessment approaches for resilient food safety management.

The conference features keynote lectures by international experts, thematic scientific sessions, poster presentations, and short talks by early-career scientists. By bringing together perspectives from research, regulatory authorities, and industry, the event aims to support evidence-based decision-making and contribute to a safer, more resilient European food system.
Registration is required to attend the conference. Full details, agenda and the registration form are available on the official event page: HOLiFOOD and FoodSafeR projects – Finale Event – Info & Registration
Participants interested in a technical “hands-on” experience can join the pre-conference workshops on 9 June. A travel grant of up to €800 is available for the first 20 registered participants. For more details on the workshops visit the page: HoliFood Living Labs – Info & Registration

APRE Courses 2026: "How to write an ERC Starting Grant proposal" webinar
2026-06-11 10:00 - 13:00
APRE is organizing the webinar “How to write an ERC Starting Grant proposal”, taking place online on 11 June 2026, from 10:00 to 13:00.
The event is organized in collaboration with the University of Siena, Scuola Normale Superiore, University of Pisa, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, and the University of Florence.
This course aims to present participants with the opportunities offered by the Horizon Europe ERC Starting Grant call. The European Research Council (ERC) funding schemes operate on a bottom-up basis under Pillar I of Horizon Europe, which is entirely dedicated to Excellent Science. The ERC Starting Grant call is designed for emerging researchers of any nationality, with up to 10 years of post-doctoral experience, who demonstrate an excellent potential to become independent research leaders and wish to establish their own research team and programme in Europe.
The workshop intends to provide practical, step-by-step guidance on drafting a highly competitive project proposal. The training session will deeply analyze how to structure a proposal that complies with the official template requirements, what evaluation criteria are adopted by the peer-review experts, and how the entire selection process is managed. At the end of the presentation, the speakers will share valuable tips and tricks for proposal writing and showcase real-life examples of successful, winning projects.
This event is open to researchers, post-docs, and research managers from the University of Siena and other Tuscan Universities who are planning to apply or support applications for the upcoming ERC Starting Grant deadlines.
To view the full agenda for this session and discover all the other training opportunities scheduled for this year, please visit the dedicated section on our portal: APRE Courses 2026.

Presentation of the 12th Report on Bioeconomy in Europe: "Bioeconomy for Growth and Resilience"
2026-06-16 14:00 | Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri, Roma
On Tuesday 16 June, the event “La bioeconomia per la crescita e la resistenza” (Bioeconomy for Growth and Resilience) will be held at the Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri a Roma. During the event, the 12th Report on Bioeconomy in Europe, drafted by the Intesa Sanpaolo Research Department in collaboration with Cluster SPRING, will be presented.
Now in its twelfth edition, the Report has confirmed itself as a benchmark for operators and policymakers, providing a quantification of the complex set of sectors that use renewable biological raw materials, as well as food for thought on the developments of one of the pillars of the inevitable transition towards more sustainable production and consumption models.
To participate, registration is required by sending an email to: segreteria.studi@intesasanpaolo.com
For further information please visit the page: Presentation of the 12th Report on Bioeconomy in Europe

"Towards an ERC Starting Grant: from promising idea to competitive proposal" - online workshop
2026-06-26 10:00 - 12:30
APRE, as coordinator of mERCury — the National Contact Points (NCP) network project for the European Research Council (ERC) — is organizing an online event dedicated to researchers interested in the ERC Starting Grant. The webinar will take place online on 26 June 2026, from 10:00 to 12:30.
The meeting will guide participants from defining a truly “groundbreaking” idea to understanding the European Research Council’s evaluation process.
The agenda includes in-depth insights into the frontier research approach, a dedicated session on the evaluation process, and testimonials from Starting Grant holders across the SH (Social Sciences and Humanities), PE (Physical Sciences and Engineering), and LS (Life Sciences) domains, featuring the participation of ERCEA Scientific Officers and evaluators.
Participation is free of charge, but online registration is required by 25 June.
For further details and to secure your spot, please visit the event page: https://mercuryncp.eu/event/towards-an-erc-starting-grant-from-promising-idea-to-competitive-proposal/

INFO DAY Horizon Europe – EU Partnerships. 2026 Calls Innovative Health Initiative (IHI), Cluster 1 | New Call 13
2026-07-06 11:00 - 16:00 | Sala Recordati of Farmindustria, Via del Nazzareno, 12, Roma
APRE, in agreement with the MUR (Italian Ministry of University and Research) and in collaboration with Farmindustria, is organizing a hybrid event on 6 July 2026, from 11:00 to 16:00, dedicated to the new Call 13 of the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI), the European Partnership supporting research and innovation in the health sector.
The meeting will provide an overview of the opportunities featured in the new IHI calls, focusing on the Call 13 topics currently available as drafts, testimonials from funded projects, and a networking and pitch session between research and industry. The event aims to continue informing and raising awareness among companies, SMEs, hospitals, research centers, and patient associations regarding the valuable opportunities offered by the IHI calls.
The event will take place in person in Rome, at the Sala Recordati of Farmindustria, and online.
In-person seats are limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached. Early registration is therefore highly recommended to secure a spot. Once the maximum capacity is reached, it will only be possible to follow the event remotely.
Participation is free of charge.
For further information and registration, visit the page: https://apre.it/evento/info-day-horizon-europe-eu-partnerships-bandi-2026-innovative-health-initiative-ihi-cluster-1-nuova-call-13/
