How to navigate change—and thrive—in a shifting research and innovation environment.
Date: December 16th
Time: 12:30 -14:00 CET
The European Commission’s latest funding work programme of the WIDERA 2026-27 programme introduces significant new priorities as fostering citizen engagement for more responsible and democratisation of science, promoting public engagement in R&I, scientific literacy and measuring impact. Engagement activities as well as societal impact can also be found in other programmes across Horizon Europe. With only two years left of the current framework programme, science engagers, researchers and institutions need to quickly act in order to build competitive consortia.
This webinar provides a clear and practical overview of the EC funding schemes, including Horizon Europe updates, and evolving expectations around democratisation of science and impact measurement. Whether you’re a seasoned grant writer or new to the process, understanding the EC funding schemes is key to maintaining a competitive edge in the crowded European research landscape.
Topics we’ll cover:
- Key updates in EC funding priorities and instruments for 2026-27 and beyond
- The rise of impact-focused research and public engagement expectations
- How to get involved and build competitive, future-ready consortia and project partnerships
- Plus a little Christmas fun!
Who is in the kitchen?
Maria Hagardt
Maria Hagardt is Senior Research Officer at the International Secretariat of the Swedish Research Office, where she coordinates and helps shape future European Research Area Policy Agenda and EU R&I Framework Programmes with a specific focus on public engagement and building trust in science. Her extensive experience includes roles as International Relations Manager at Public & Science Sweden and as a National Contact Point for EU Horizon 2020 and FP7. She is a member of EU reference groups for the EU Horizon Europe WIDERA programme and a national expert in the European Commission’s Mutual Learning Exercise on Public Engagement.
Helen Garrison
Helen Garrison works as a Project and Communications Manager for VA and is based in her home country, the UK, after spending nine years living in Sweden. She collaborates with the team on projects with an international dimension and is involved in several EU initiatives, including Genderactionplus, Inspiring ERA, LOESS, and Re-MEND. In addition to project management, her work includes developing new projects, preparing funding proposals, writing articles and reports, translating, and creating online content.
Helen believes that research knows no borders and that societal challenges require meaningful dialogue between science and society, both within and across nations. VA’s international strategy supports this vision by providing diverse perspectives and inspiration that enrich the organisation’s work and help share it more widely.
Georgios Papanagnou
Dr Georgios Papanagnou is a researcher at the United Nations University, Institute for Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS) in Belgium. He is also a Research Fellow at the Foundation for Global Governance and Sustainability (FOGGS). He has published and presented papers on global and regional governance; democracy in the European parliament; science policy links; European progressive politics, sustainability and innovation; discourse analysis and social theory.
