UK Horizon Europe Showcase

FRAMEwork is represented at a multilateral conference in London showcasing UK-led Horizon projects and future opportunities...

Credits: Innovate UK, Taskscape Associates, Wikipedia, EU UK Delegation

As a UK-led Horizon 2020 project, FRAMEwork has been in the interesting position of being funded before the implementation of Brexit and operating during its negotiation and fulfillment. So it was positive for the project to be represented at London's Kia Oval for a milestone event on March 18, 2025, marking the UK's first full year as an associated member of Horizon Europe.

The event, organized by UKRO alongside DSIT and UKRI, brought together a cross-section of Britain's research community, from university professors to industry innovators, who came to share their experiences and make new connections. Minister for Science Lord Patrick Vallance delivered the keynote address to an audience that ranged from Horizon Europe veterans to those just beginning to explore the program's possibilities. The day's speakers also included leaders from UKRI, the European Commission, and attendees from Canada who presented on their engagement with the programme as an associate member.

Theo Simmons from knowledge exchange partner Taskscape attended on behalf of the project - reporting that as only a small minority of H2020 projects are funded like FRAMEwork for 5 years, our collective journey on sustainability topics important to the EU and UK was of particular interest to relevant attendees.

"This was good opportunity to raise awareness of FRAMEwork with attendees from across the UK and Europe. I had some great conversations with National Contact points for Horizon, junior researchers and academic and business leaders operating in related fields. The project was of real interest to many attendees, especially with it's focus on EU areas and contexts during a tricky transitional period in which only ~3% of H2020's 35,000+ projects were UK-led. Being able to share how the project has navigated this, as well as highlights and challenges, was ideal as we celebrate final year outputs."

Sessions throughout the day explored past experiences and achievements as well as future priorities and cooperation strategies. Practical experience was brought to the forefront with presentations from Cardiff University Professor Richard Madgwick on experiences in different types of research projects and NATS's Dr Alison Roberts who shared insights about building and running effective international collaborations through consortiums. Q+As and networking slots encouraged dialogue about past and future Horizon projects.

Breakout sessions proved particularly useful, with an opportunity for UK attendees to meet National Contact Points and attendees from Europe to discuss their Horizon involvement, share information and ask questions. The event attracted everyone from CEOs to early-career researchers, creating an environment where a startup founder could chat with a university research director over coffee, connected by their shared interest in European collaboration.

By the end of the day, participants left having raised awareness of their activities, gained practical knowledge about the program and with new contacts and fresh perspectives on UK contributions to European projects.