The workshop “CZARMA REGON November 2024: Synergies Between Programs” provided new insights for knowledge sharing and innovation
Prague, November 6, 2024 – A workshop under the CZARMA REGON banner titled “Synergies Between Programs” was held at the Prague University of Economics and Business and broadcast online. The event attracted over a hundred research managers, representatives, and institutional delegates, focusing on the integration of European research and innovation (R&I) programs with cohesion funds. The goal was to raise awareness of cooperation opportunities and explore ways to enhance innovations and better utilize the potential synergies between programs.
During the event, leading experts on synergies and the integration of research structures in the Czech Republic and the European Union presented:
- Táňa Hálová Perglová presented the work of the ERA Fora RIMA subgroup, which focuses on sharing information, best practices, and mapping approaches to synergies between national programs, cohesion policy programs, and EU programs. “From my perspective, the most important thing is open, systematic, and coordinated communication between all stakeholders, as well as long-term planning when creating programs focused on research,” she stated.
- Ondřej Hradil from Masaryk University outlined the work of the Czech informal group focused on supporting synergies between programs and emphasized practical examples of how synergistic approaches are applied in practice. “I would like to commend the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports (MŠMT) for its work on the national level, as specific examples of synergies in the OP JAK MSCA, MSCA-COFUND, and Teaming calls are crucial for the Czech environment,” he shared in his presentation.
- Aneta Kučerová from the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Czech Republic provided an insight into the current preparations for the FP10 program. “By the end of 2024, MŠMT aims to adopt and publish the Czech position paper on FP10. We emphasize better coordination, information sharing, and a unified interpretation of the rules,” she concluded.
The discussion then highlighted the potential of synergistic cooperation between research and innovation programs and cohesion funds. Participants agreed on the need to expand the sharing of experiences between organizations and increase the transparency of rules to facilitate access to available resources. Significant attention should also be paid to practical examples where synergies have helped accelerate the implementation of projects in the fields of science and innovation, enabling greater involvement of Czech institutions in Horizon Europe projects through leveraging.
One specific example of successful synergy is the new Horizon Europe project being implemented at the University of Economics in Prague by the Department of Science and Research in collaboration with the Project Office since June this year. The coordinators of the RIS4SEB project, Aneta Kašlíková and Jiří Hájek, encouraged the attendees to engage in the development of institutional strategies and policy recommendations, which the project aims to produce by 2027. These outcomes from the RIS4SEB project are intended to serve as proposals for improving the framework of rules set by program providers for research and innovation.
About CZARMA REGON
CZARMA REGON is a regular event organized by the Czech Association of Research Managers and Administrators (CZARMA) and continues the tradition of regular meetings of grant office representatives from research organizations, held on the first Wednesday of every month since 2011.