Horizon 2020 road show kicks off in Istanbul to promote research cooperation between the EU and Turkey
Today, the EU and Turkey kick off a roadshow promoting research and innovation cooperation under Horizon 2020, the EU’s research and innovation programme. This first leg of the roadshow, taking place at the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, focuses specifically on funding for top-class innovators, entrepreneurs, and small companies. The event is part of a concerted effort by the European Union and Turkey to step up research and innovation cooperation and encourage Turkish participation in the Horizon 2020 programme.
The Horizon 2020 funding initiative, in partnership with TÜBITAK, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, has stimulated a knowledge-based and innovation-driven society in Turkey since 2014. Jean-Eric Paquet, the European Commission’s Director General for Research and Innovation, recently complimented Turkey for its commitment to boosting its participation in Horizon 2020.
Today’s Horizon 2020 Info Day in Istanbul solidifies this commitment, encouraging not only Turkish researchers, but also Turkish entrepreneurs and innovators at any business-stage to make use of Horizon 2020 funding mechanisms. The Enhanced European Innovation Council (EIC) pilot is chief among these, bringing together the parts of Horizon 2020 that provide funding, advice, and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs and pioneers at the cutting edge of innovation. EIC pilot support is available to innovators from all EU Member States, and to those from countries associated to the EU Horizon 2020 programme, like Turkey.
Special emphasis at today’s event is placed on opportunities for Turkish innovators under the SME-Instrument – an EIC grant- and acceleration-instrument for small and medium-sized companies looking to scale up their ideas or get them to market. Thus far, 34 Turkish SMEs have received funding of a combined €9.21 million through the SME-Instrument, most of them located in Istanbul. The majority of this funding has gone to projects in the fields of construction and transport networks (€3.99 million) and business model innovation (€3.32 million). Turkish participants at the event today have the opportunity to get practical tips from SME-Instrument Jury Member Dilek Dayınlarlı, founder and Managing Partner at ScaleX Ventures, a venture capital firm based in San Francisco.
Today’s info day is the first in a roadshow of three Horizon 2020 events taking place in Turkey throughout the month of May. The two upcoming events will be held in Ankara (16 May) and Istanbul (17 May) and will focus on grant-opportunities for Turkish researchers offered by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions of the Horizon 2020 programme.
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Horizon 2020: Open to the World
Horizon 2020 is the largest multinational programme dedicated to research and innovation and it is ‘Open to the World.’ This means that researchers, universities, research organisations or companies from across the globe can apply to participate in the activities of the Work Programme carried out through calls for proposals. The Work Programme for 2018-2020 represents a major investment of €30 billion, with more than 600 calls for proposals, including a list of 30 international flagship initiatives in areas of mutual benefit.
Follow updates on Horizon 2020 and EU-international research cooperation on Twitter: @EU_H2020
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