Research collaboration roadshow coming to Glasgow – Scottish Business News

THE Horizon Europe Roadshow is coming to the University of Glasgow, with a Horizon Europe Insight Day to be hosted there on Wednesday 12 June.

This nationwide initiative aims to encourage businesses, researchers and academics all across the country to engage with Horizon Europe.

Horizon Europe is the world’s largest programme of research collaboration, bringing academics and businesses from the UK together with colleagues from across the UK, New Zealand, Canada, Israel and beyond. The UK is a part of Horizon after the Prime Minister secured a bespoke deal, last year.

The programme is worth £80 billion in total, and the average Horizon grant is worth £450,000 to a UK business or researcher. We know from recent history that this is a huge opportunity for funding, for researchers and businesses in Scotland. Over £740 million was awarded to projects in Scotland through Horizon’s predecessor, Horizon 2020. It offers an enormous opportunity for anyone doing R&D, and in particular businesses which might not have previous experience of applying, to access innovation funding for early stage research, all the way through to developing new products and services.

The Roadshow is touring the UK throughout 2024, building on a hugely successful debut Insight Day in Birmingham that saw over 300 attendees from across business and academia.

In Glasgow the event will bring together business leaders, academics and researchers from across Scotland, to share practical advice, hear from those who have been successful and speak directly to both the Innovate UK National Contact Points who guide UK applicants through the bidding process, and the officials who assess Horizon bids.

This event will feature an even larger focus on consortia building and networking, and we therefore encourage anyone involved in R&D and interested in applying to Horizon to attend. From those who have not engaged with Horizon Europe before, to those who have been successful in the past.

While smaller businesses and early-career researchers are especially in line to benefit, anyone involved in R&D who is looking to maximise their chances of successfully bidding for a share of the £80 billion available through Horizon Europe, stands to benefit from being a part of the event.

Science Minister Andew Griffith said:

“The UK’s bespoke deal on Horizon has opened up a whole world of opportunity for our researchers, from the £80 billion funding that’s available, to the vast benefits that come from working hand-in-hand with colleagues from Europe to Canada to New Zealand.

“I am determined that researchers and businesses right across the country seize this opportunity, and so it is only right that we assemble some of Scotland brightest minds together in one of our hubs of world class R&D: Glasgow, a powerhouse in life sciences, photonics, fintech and more.”

More details on the Glasgow Horizon Europe Insight Day are available here.