- “Bringing Europe closer to people, building sustainable, resilient, innovative regional and local communities, and striving for our values, education and culture: these are our main priorities.” -
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the European Committee of the Regions , on the occasion of the adoption of the Knowledge Exchange Platform 2.0 and the Joint Action Plan.
- “Regions and cities play an essential role in achieving our green and digital transitions. The Joint Action Plan and the relaunched Knowledge Exchange Platform work plan that the Committee of the Regions and the European Commission are adopting are milestones in our renewed European Research Area and focus on concrete solutions to improve citizens’ lives.” –
Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth , on the occasion of the adoption of the Knowledge Exchange Platform 2.0 and the Joint Action Plan.
The
Knowledge Exchange Platform (KEP) is a form of cooperation with the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. The platform seeks the exchange of new R&I solutions and best practices, by organizing
horizontalseminars in Brussels and
peer-to-peer events in the regions, or hosting local
showcasing events. The KEP's flexible cooperation process allows for an efficient
dialogue with European cities and regions on research and innovation issues, and an effective transfer of expertise between local innovation ecosystems, including business, universities and the
citizens.
In the framework of the
Joint Action Plan adopted in November 2020 with Commissioner Gabriel's services, this project has been upgraded to a strategic level. KEP°2.0 is from now on aligned with the renewed
European Research Area initiative and linked to the implementation of the
Science meets Regions project. This year, the Platform's activities are expected to be also centred on the
Horizon Europe programme's implementation.
In 2021, the
KEP activities are expected to cover the
following themes:
- The territorial dimension of the
European Research Area and the
ERA Hubs;
- The green transition and the Recovery & Resilience Plans, as well as
Horizon Europe Missions
In 2021, two horizontal seminars are foreseen (both in a virtual form) : the first is planned to take place linked to the European Research and Innovation Days in June, and the second in the framework of the European Week of Regions and Cities in October.
As for the KEP side event of the European Research and Innovation Days, held on 22 June 2021 about "Regions and cities: role in the new European Research Area and opportunities from Horizon Europe", you can (re)watch its sessions on the event's website.
As for the European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC), you can already REGISTER on the events website for the two interlinked workshops: here and here.
(In view of an enhanced synergy, these workshops will be also linked to the Conference on the Future of Europe.)
You can also watch again the two KEP sessions held at the 2020 edition of the EURegionsWeek: here and here."
For more information, please contact the SEDEC secretariat:
sedec@cor.europa.eu