Irish academic researchers, companies and research organisations will be celebrated at an event taking place in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin today.
Sixteen individuals will receive Horizon 2020 achievement awards for their projects which exhibited outstanding leadership in their respective programme areas. Horizon 2020 is the EU Framework Programme for research and innovation. It runs over the period 2014-2020 and has a total budget of €75 billion.
Ireland’s national target of securing €1.25 billion in EU funding is equivalent to 1.67% of the overall Horizon 2020 budget. To date, Ireland has secured funding of €424 million, representing 1.66% of the total EU budget committed.
The aim of today's event is to recognise the immense contribution of the award winners and all project leaders from Ireland in their national success in the €75 billion Horizon 2020 EU Framework Programme for research and innovation. Enterprise Ireland is hosting the event on behalf of Ireland’s National Support Network for Horizon 2020.
A panel discussion at the event will focus on Ireland’s success in Horizon 2020 to date, how to maximise participation in the final period 2018-2020 (launching later this year with a budget of €30 billion), and how to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the successor programme which will commence in 2021.
Speaking ahead of the presentation of awards, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Julie Sinnamon said, "Today’s event celebrates the achievements of collaboration between academic research and industry. Horizon 2020 is an important source of funding for research and innovation and provides a mechanism for researchers and Irish enterprise to network and collaborate with the best researchers and leading companies across Europe."
She added, "These benefits are particularly important for a small, open economy like ours. The award winners here today are a source of inspiration for others and I’d like to wish them every success with their current projects and in their future endeavours."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
