Horizon 2020 SC2 Event - Rural Renaissance Opportunities

InterTradeIreland, the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) in Ireland and the Department of Agriculture, the Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland invite you to attend a Horizon 2020 information and networking event for Societal Challenge 2 specifically exploring opportunities in the Rural Renaissance calls.

Horizon 2020 is the EU's largest ever R&D and Innovation programme with a budget of almost €80bn from 2014 to 2020, and around 20% of the budget available to SMEs.

Calls in Rural Renaissance aim to boost economic development, environmental services and entrepreneurial innovation in rural and coastal areas. The 2017 calls open in October 2016 with an available budget of €62 million.

This event will bring together end-users and researchers from across the island seeking to maximise their engagement in Horizon 2020 by providing a platform to engage with potential cross-border partners.

You can find out more about the support available and meet with potential cross-border partners on specific opportunities around Rural Renaissance.

Delegates will learn about the EU policies relating to Societal Challenge 2 as well as gain insight into the experiences of key Horizon 2020 stakeholders such as the European Commission, expert evaluators, successful coordinator’s and North South partnerships.

Agenda

9:00 Registration - Tea/Coffee

9:30 - 9:40 Dr Bernadette McGahon, InterTradeIreland

9:40 - 10:00 Miroslav Bozic, DG Agriculture & Rural Development Research & Innovation Unit

10:00 - 10:30 Richard Wakeford, Professor of Environment, Land Use and Rural Strategy, Birmingham University, Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 2 Advisory Group Chairperson

10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break

11:00 - 11:20 David Meredith, Teagasc

11:20 - 11:40 Gráinne Millar, GM Innovations

11:40 - 12:00 Noel Gavigan, IBEC, AGRI-FOR-VALOR

12:00 - 12:20 Stephen Rice, Upskill Enterprise

12:20 - 13:30 Lunch

13:30 - 15:00 Interactive Session:

*The interactive session is a world cafe style discussion where key information is collected around a number of questions for later use by DAFM and DAERA as input into the 2018-2020 Horizon 2020 Work Programme for SC2:

Q1) New approches towards policies and governance

Q2) New value chains and business models

Q3) Innovation and skills development

Who should attend?

- Researchers from academia and industry

- Local Government

- Local Enterprise Offices and Agencies

- Rural Community Groups

- Local Action Groups (LEADER etc.)

- Agri-Food SMEs

- Councils