GIANT LEAPS selected to exhibit as “ERA Success Stories’
The 2024 Brussels conference, European Research Area: Fostering Greater Integration, Advancing Competitiveness, gathered over 400 experts to explore how research and innovation (R&I) drive Europe’s global standing. Organized by the European Commission with support from the INSPIRING ERA project, the event highlighted key priorities for strengthening the European Research Area (ERA).
Discussions centered on enhancing cross-border collaboration, increasing strategic R&I investments, and achieving the 3% GDP target. Gender equality, research security, and scientific freedom were also key topics, alongside fostering innovative ecosystems and accelerating sustainability efforts through scalable technologies like hydrogen and solar energy. Participants emphasized the need for policy alignment, public-private partnerships, and stronger governance structures to maintain Europe’s competitiveness in the global research landscape.
The exhibition of success stories was a key feature of the ERA Conference, showcasing 19 Horizon Europe projects from across Europe that contribute to the goals of a sustainable and competitive European Research Area. These projects highlighted the breadth and impact of research and innovation (R&I) activities within ERA, aligning with the priorities set in the ERA Policy Agenda 2022-2024. The exhibition also featured notable achievements from Horizon Europe’s Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), demonstrating the program’s role in advancing Europe’s R&I landscape. One of the projects selected as ERA's ‘success story’ was GIANT LEAPS.
Paul Vos, from the project’s coordinator Wageningen University, represented GIANT LEAPS at this conference, where, as part of the exhibition, GIANT LEAPS had its own booth. Paul presented the project and showcased our activities and impacts to a wide audience of scientists, policymakers, NGOs, politicians, other EU project coordinators, and industry representatives.
If you are interested in reading the ERA Conference Report, you can access it here.
