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Horizon 2020, the European Commission's proposal for a new
€80 billion programme to run from 2014 to 2020 was launched
by Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, Commissioner for Research, Innovation
and Science on 30th November 2011.
Marine Institute CEO, Dr Peter Heffernan welcomed the Commission’s
proposal, noting that marine research is very well
represented in the draft text:
“Marine and maritime research is specifically mentioned in
the Societal Challenge 'Food Security', while reference
is also made to environmentally friendly fishing, offshore
aquaculture, marine biotechnology, the greening of maritime
transport, renewable ocean energy, marine spatial planning
and seabed mining - to mention a few.
"The very generic nature of the text and the bottom-up
approach to be adopted will provide many exciting and challenging
opportunities for the Irish research community and knowledge-based
SMEs," he said.
Of particular relevance is the accompanying proposal for
a Council Decision, which states that “detailed priority setting
during implementation of Horizon 2020 will entail a strategic
approach to programming of research ... This cross-cutting
approach to programming and governance will allow effective
coordination between all of Horizon 2020's specific objectives
and will allow to address challenges which cut across them
- such as, for instance, sustainability, climate change or
marine sciences and technologies”.
The strong representation of marine and maritime research
in Horizon 2020 can be attributed to a number of factors -
including the adoption of an Integrated Maritime Policy for
the European Union in 2007, strong representation from the
European Marine Science Community (e.g. the Ostend Declaration,
2010) and the very positive impression of the benefits of
marine and maritime research made to Commissioners Geoghegan-Quinn
(DG Research and Innovation) and Damanacki (DG MARE) during
their visit to the Marine Institute in September 2011.
The Commission proposal will now be subject to negotiations
with the European Parliament, the Council and Member States
and is expected to be adopted by the end of 2013.
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