Upstream Synergies to Overcome Lockedin Effects in Widening Regions and Broaden Internationalization Pathways for Sustainable Innovation and Competitive Grant Applications: MILESTONE

Programme(s): HORIZON.4.1 - Widening participation and spreading excellence MAIN PROGRAMME

Topic(s): HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-ACCESS-04-01 - Pathways to Synergies

Call for proposal: HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-ACCESS-04

Funding Scheme: HORIZON-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions

Grant agreement ID: 101159708

Project description: Overcoming institutional barriers in pandemic preparedness
As the world grapples with the challenges posed by pandemics, it’s clear that effective research and preparedness are paramount. However, many academic institutions, particularly in certain regions of Europe, face institutional barriers that impede their ability to excel in this critical area. Locked-in effects hinder collaboration, stifle innovation and widen the gap between research capacities. In this context, the EU-funded MILESTONE project aims to establish robust collaboration among widening academic institutes to overcome these barriers. Specifically, it will bring together academic institutes from the Czech Republic, Greece and Slovenia, alongside an advanced partner from France. Forging strong collaboration links, these institutes will delve into antiviral research, facilitated by a world-class expert in biochemistry and virology.

Objective

MILESTONE will attempt to establish strong collaboration links among three widening academic institutes from Greece (UPAT), Slovenia (NIC), and Czech Republic (MU), as well as with an advanced partner (AMU, FR), to overcome locked-in institutional effects, build synergies and create a pathway to excellence, producing new knowledge in antiviral research and pandemic preparedness. UPAT, NIC, and MU, all acknowledged national/regional research actors funded by ERDF, share common interests in biosciences and will collaborate with a world-class expert in biochemistry, virology, and infrastructure management, the AMU.
The MILESTONE strategy seeks to internationalise widening partners to boost their access to EU R&I consortia in joint applications under Pillars I & II, as well as to unlock, reinforce, and improve the utilization of existing R&I capacity. A key project module is training, knowledge sharing, and the acquisition of transferable skills for R&I personnel to increase performance in research, research management, fund-raising, and communication.
MILESTONE’s implementation is based on well-designed WPs with specific tasks and roles for each partner to have a large impact at the scientific, societal, and economic/technological levels, and to increase the competitiveness and reputation of all partners in the direction of future sustainable development.
Furthermore, MILESTONE is guided by the principles of gender equality, open research and data management. Project progress will be communicated to all prospective stakeholders as well as the public through e-communication channels and live events.
Overall, MILESTONE aims to establish an effective collaborative network among participating partners to achieve synergies between Horizon Europe and cohesion policy programmes (ERDF, Interreg), to allow widening partners to catch up in their R&I performance and to reduce the innovation gap among EU regions.