Horizon Europe is the European Union’s key funding program for research and innovation for 2021-2027 and is the continuation of Horizon 2020. Being the first state associated with this program within the Eastern Partnership, the Republic of Moldova has already achieved important results, benefiting from €4.7 million in 2020. The Republic of Moldova signed the Association Agreement for the 9th Framework Programmed for Research and Innovation “Horizon Europe” on October 27, 2021. Through this association, research and innovation institutions, as well as the business community of our country, can access, under the same conditions as the EU member countries, European funds intended for research and innovation. Moldovan institutions can join forces with other European institutions in consortia to submit project proposals, both as partners and as project coordinators. The participants in IPN’s public debate “European integration of the Republic of Moldova’s research sector” discussed the Horizon Europe program, the integration of Moldova’s research sector into the European space, the benefits and beneficiaries of this integration:
Aurelia Hanganu, director of the National Agency for Research and Development, said that she associates the benefits of this program with the challenges and problems generated by this association as it is a framework program, open to the whole of Europe, which allows to participate in competitions on an equal footing with different research teams, of different research institutes, higher education institutions and not only, from Europe and associated countries.
According to Aurelia Hanganu, the benefits are identified in this competition, which has always driven teams to develop, to channel efforts and find solutions. Horizon Europe also presents researchers with the challenges of the whole of humanity, to which solutions are sought. It goes to health, environmental problems, problems related to soil or food technology, problems of the safety of people in different areas.
“It goes to the capacity to homogenize the status of researchers in different countries of Europe. It is rather a challenge for the entire research system in the Republic of Moldova and beyond. The researchers in our country are not the most unprepared ones. They are very prepared, but they have problems when it comes to attracting funds and participating in open competition. I think infrastructure is the first problem and this program also involves attracting additional resources for infrastructure,” said the director of the National Agency for Research and Development
Vitalie Moraru, head of the National Office “Horizon Europe”, said that the Office emerged from a partnership between the Ministry of Education and the National Agency for Development and Education and has a very clear mission, to help researchers or beneficiaries of the program to apply to this program. Thus, the Office’s primary objective is to increase the number of applications to this program and subsequently gain funding.
Vitalie Moraru noted that “Horizon Europe” Office organizes thematic training seminars for the beneficiaries of the Program or training sessions for researchers through which it informs the research and innovation community about the opportunities offered by the Program.
“We talk about universities in general because universities are the quintessence of innovation. Following the reform of science, starting with 2018, the country’s innovative potential has been concentrated there to the greatest extent. We work a lot with universities. Persons who are responsible for the Program within them have been identified. We work with these people. We work at the national level, but also with the international community, with foreign partners. We are talking about the General Inspectorate for Research and Innovation, with which we are in open communication. We are talking about those partners who support us through training seminars for the development of researchers'’capacities,” said the head of the National Office “Horizon Europe”.
Victoria Cociug, vice-rector for research and partnerships at the Academy of Economic Studies, said that the program Horizon Europe did not come to Moldova on empty ground. The researchers here had the necessary training. “They were also involved in H20 program. To particular extent, the researchers understood what the challenges were, but Horizon Europe broadened the boundaries, opened up more opportunities and carrying out research at another, European level is the biggest challenge,” she stated.
“Learning from experience is the biggest benefit, in my opinion. It’s a big challenge to try and see if you’re able enough to keep up with great researchers of the world, to learn from the experience of writing and carrying out projects. The transfer of knowledge, of experience in communicating with all participants, including the authorities that assess them, takes place. Following this assessment, you understand what your limits are, where the team can grow. We are delighted with these possibilities and we are glad that the recently formed “Horizon Europe” Office is helpful to us, offers training, invites researchers to various project writing workshops involving experienced personalities from abroad,” said Victoria Cociug.
“I benefited from several meetings at the Academy of Sciences. We were explained what the impediments are and how we can overcome them as research is up to each of us,” noted the vice-rector for research and partnerships at the Academy of Economic Studies.
The public debate entitled “European integration of the Republic of Moldova’s research sector” was the tenth installment of the project “Benefits of Moldova’s accession to the EU for people, community and country”, which is implemented with support from Soros Foundation Moldova.
