EC announces members of expert group on interim evaluation of Horizon Europe

The European Commission's DG RTD has announced the members of the expert group on the interim evaluation of Horizon Europe. The group is holding its first meeting and officially starting its work on 5 December 2023.

The expert group is chaired by Manuel Heitor, Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, and comprises experts from across the EU working on a wide variety of fields, which will provide valuable advice on the state of Research & Innovation (R&I) in the EU.

The group's 15 members were selected from a pool of 359 applications, reflecting a commitment to diversity, encompassing valuable framework programme-related expertise and ensuring a balance in gender, age, and geographical representation (all group members are appointed in a personal capacity, and not as representatives of Member StatesI:

• Manuel Heitor – Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon (former Portuguese minister for research, 2015-2022)
• Conny Aerts – Recipient of the 2022 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics
• Anders Bjarklev – President, Technical University of Denmark
• Annelien Bredenoord – Rector Magnificus, Erasmus University Rotterdam
• Maria Chiara Carrozza – President, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
• Dessislava Dimitrova – CEO, Bio Stopanstvo Lopyanko
• Heinz Fassmann – President, Austrian Academy of Sciences (former Austrian Minister for Education, Science and Research 2018-2021)
• Mark Ferguson – Chair of the board, SoilSteam AS Norway
• Agrita Kiopa – Vice Rector for Research, Riga Stradinš University
• Kaia Palm – CEO, Protobios
• Adam Piotrowski – President of the board, Vigo Photonics
• Isabelle Ryl – Director, Paris Artificial Intelligence Research Institute
• Georg Schütte – Secretary-General, Volkswagen Foundation (former German Secretary of State for Research 2009-2019)
• Sylvia Schwaag Serger – Chair of the Scientific Council, Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (former chair of the Austrian Council for RTI)
• Antti Vasara – President & CEO, VTT, Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd.

The Group, which will meet monthly between January and October 2024, will complement the interim evaluation of Horizon Europe with expert advice. Amongst their deliverables, they will produce a report on how the EU Framework Programme for R&I can continue to add value for the remainder of Horizon Europe and in the future.

The Group’s report is expected to contain both strategic advice and concrete suggestions on how the programme can stay flexible to changing needs, and how it can stay attractive to researchers and innovators from the EU and beyond.

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