- Published : 12.04.2024.
Director-General Hrvoje Meštrić participated in the European Research Area and Innovation Committee (ERAC) meeting in Namur
Director-General of the Directorate for Science and Technology, Hrvoje Meštrić, PhD, participated in the European Research Area and Innovation Committee (ERAC) meeting that took place in Namur, Belgium, 11 and 12 April 2024.
Three discussions were held during the meeting. On the first day the discussion was held on the topic of the next European Research area Policy Agenda for 2025-2027, where the importance of ensuring active participation and commitment to future ERA activities was highlighted. National priorities implemented through reforms and strategic documents such as connecting the academic sector with industry through calls within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, excellence that is the focus of programme agreements and open science and digitalisation were also presented.Two discussions were held on the second day. The first discussion was held on the guidance for the next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10), where the need for its complementarity with other EU programmes and national investments as well as the importance of consulting the Member States on strategic priorities from the very beginning of the planning process were emphasized. Croatia advocated for further continuation and development of measures for widening participation that need to be evidence-based and result in a narrowing of the R & I divide.
The final discussion was held on the establishment of missions in the Framework Programme through effective multilevel governance. During the discussion, it was pointed out that missions cannot be managed in a uniform manner at all levels (EU and national). Croatian participation in as many as 65 projects as part of the call for missions was also highlighted as it shows that they have been recognized as a valuable instrument at the national level.