Closer EU-Canadian relationships in STI
Canada and the European-Union are strategic partners, sharing many common values. In 1976 the Framework Agreement for Commercial and Economic Cooperation was signed. Under this Agreement, the EU-Canada Joint Cooperation Committee meets regularly to identify how to move the collaboration forward. The EU-funded ERA-CAN PLUS(opens in new window) (European Research Area - Canada for science, technology and innovation partnership) project fostered EU-Canadian relations in research, innovation, and development. The team facilitated two-way access for researchers and innovators, and developed new funding opportunities for twin projects. In order to monitor progress of bilateral cooperation in STI, the team published two editions of an STI observatory. The works detailed an analysis of framework conditions and programmes, Canadian participation in Horizon 2020, plus EU participation in Canadian programmes. Advancement in the EU-Canada policy dialogue has been guaranteed by the organisation of three Programme Level Cooperation meetings focusing on funding mechanisms, engaging businesses, exploring the opportunities for Canada in joining public-public and public-private partnerships. Six interdisciplinary roundtables on topics(opens in new window) ranging from Arctic research to aeronautics were organised. Furthermore, the project organised a Canada-EU Natural Resources/Bioeconomy Science Collaborative Roundtable which included the participation of Canadian Senior Management and EU officials. Such events helped identify the next phases in existing cooperation and highlighted new fields of collaboration. Possibilities include first-responder security and climate change. The panel’s recommendations for future actions were delivered twice to the Canada-EU Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee. The project’s activities also led to signing of implementation arrangements between the European Research Council (ERC) and Canada. The agreement encourages Canadian researchers to visit Europe as temporary members of ERC-funded teams. As part of activities intended to identify partners for Horizon 2020 projects, the project helped developing the network of EU-Canada National Contact Points (NCPs). In addition, 21 Regional Contact Points were appointed in five sectors to assist NCPs in regional outreach. Dissemination activities included production of a moving infographic, several newsletters and promotion of the project on social media including a series of success stories highlighting the EU-Canadian cooperation. The project also released three guides to research collaboration. Thanks to ERA-CAN PLUS, Canadian and EU researchers are more secure in their cooperation. The relationships will foster research projects of mutual interest.