Lecture details how research and innovation reach global heights through Horizon Europe

As research drives innovation around the globe and its ever-changing political, social and economic landscape, the power of collaboration fuels visionary breakthroughs for the most complex challenges.  

Building on Franklin’s commitment to Academic Innovation, the college welcomed Florent Bernard to campus on Oct. 3 for an invited lecture on EU/U.S. collaboration opportunities in research and innovation. Bernard, Counsellor for Research and Innovation at the European Union (EU) Delegation to the United States in Washington, D.C., shared details about Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research and innovation program.  

An undergraduate Rotary Scholar at UGA, Bernard returned to campus to share details of his time at UGA. His international experiences that grew into a career at the nexus of research and innovation exemplify the pivotal role of the European Union in strengthening transatlantic synergies as well as how grant programs enable change on a global scale. 

“I was able to be here through the Georgia Rotary Student Program (GRSP). It’s a great fellowship that brings students from all over the world for one year to Georgia colleges,” Bernard said. He went on to outline the history, prevalence, and vitality of the European Union. Established in the aftermath of World War II, the EU was founded to promote unity, peace, and shared prosperity across Europe – a fact underscored by the decades of peace in Europe since 1945. EU values – freedom, equality, democracy, rule of law, and respect for human rights – are woven into every institution and program. 

Bernard then emphasized the EU’s capacity for global aid. “I want to insist on how important the EU is because uninterrupted peace, decades in a row, is brand new for the Continent. It’s a new way of having the European members work together, to pave the way for a greater integration of many aspects of a country,” he said. 

He then turned to the focus of his lecture and visit: opportunities for research collaboration. Designed to foster collaboration between public and private researchers worldwide, the EU’s Horizon Europe program provides funding and support for groundbreaking discoveries and transformative innovation. Numerous countries, including the UK, Switzerland, Canada and South Korea, are associated to the program, and while the United States is not an associated country, American researchers can engage in collaborative projects through various partnership pathways. 

“International engagement through research collaborations is an important route for Franklin faculty expertise to address global challenges,” said Anna Stenport, dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “Potential partnerships with the European Union expand our scholars' perspective in their work and broaden multidisciplinary connections that serve our students beyond the research mission.” 

The lecture spotlighted the opportunities available to U.S. faculty members, graduate students, and post-doctoral researchers through the EU and the Horizon Europe. Bernard brought special attention to the Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions, which offer fellowships for post-doctoral researchers from U.S. (and other countries) to spend up to two years in a European group – or for European researchers to spend up to two years in a U.S. lab. European Research Council (ERC) grants are also open for U.S. researchers who want to relocate even part time to Europe; and ERC Synergy grants offer funding opportunities for U.S. researchers in small consortia of up to four members. 

Moreover, collaborative projects through Horizon Europe are designed to address global challenges such as climate change, health threats, and digital transformation which attract many promising researchers worldwide including those in the United States. While U.S. researchers can join these consortia as associated partners by contributing their own funding (for example, if beneficiary from a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant), select projects may offer EU funding if explicitly stated or if the U.S. partner is deemed essential to the initiative.  

To close his lecture, Bernard acknowledged the uncertainty looming over research in the U.S. “Aid for researchers is always critical to innovation, and we welcome collaborative partners in this endeavor without reservation,” he said. “Together, we can continue to build on our shared notion that considers research as a global common good.”