Meeting with the Armenian National Contact Points for Horizon Europe
On November 30, the Higher Education and Science Committee held a meeting with Ms. Silvia Bojinova, the European Neighborhood Policy Team Leader, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission, and the Armenian National Contact Points for Horizon Europe.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the progress of the Horizon Europe program, its main challenges and problems, and the activities stimulating Armenian scientific groups' participation.
Highly appreciating Mrs. Bojinova's efforts regarding Armenia's association process to the Horizon Europe program, the Chairman of the Committee, Sargis Hayotsyan, also noted that one of the Committee's top priorities is to increase the competitiveness of Armenian scientists and the success rate of their applications submitted to major international scientific grant programs.
Ms. Bojinova briefed the audience on the informational meetings held to promote the participation of Armenian scientists in the Horizon Europe program (the next informational event was scheduled on December 6) and the possibility of holding individual consultations, including the online ones, with the European experts on the preparation of applications, offering National Contact Points to disseminate the relevant information to potential beneficiaries.
Respectively, the NCPs presented the main issues in their coordination areas and explored strategies for possible solutions.
Armenia joined the 2021-2027 Horizon Europe framework program for research and innovation in 2021, in accordance with the agreement signed between Armenia and the EU on November 12, under which the Armenian scientific community was given the opportunity to use the capabilities of the EU's largest scientific cooperation program covering approximately 70 countries with €95.5 billion euros of funding. During 2021-2023, the Armenian scientific community presented 67 projects, receiving grants worth €3.3 million.