On 26 October, the YERUN Policy Platform (YPP) met in a hybrid way, with most of the members presents in Brussels for the first time since the group was created in 2021.
The YPP is YERUN’s “policy engine”: composed of policy advisors, vice-rectors and other managerial profiles from the YERUN member institutions, the group works closely with the YERUN Office in the network’s policy advocacy activities in research, innovation and education.
The one-day meeting was an opportunity to share views and opinions with a more personal twist between the YERUN Brussels Office and the YPP about the numerous policies the group is following. The exchanges were made even more rich and interesting by the presence of four guests from the European institutions.
In the morning, the YPP held an extremely interesting conversation with Sergej Mozina, research counsellor at the Slovenian Permanent Representation and co-chair of the ERA forum. Mr Mozina shared his insights on the work of the ERA Forum and the specific role that stakeholders are playing in policymaking under the new Pact for R&I in Europe.
The afternoon session started with an interesting conversation with Anouk Lafortune, from the Directorate General for Education and Culture, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Unit. Ms Lafortune presented the synergies between the MSCA and the EIT, which have also recently been outlined in a recent publication that has been launched on the topic.
Later on, we had the opportunity to discuss with Dario Capezzuto and Stijn Delauré, from the Directorate General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) on the ERA Policy Agenda and its Actions, with a specific focus on Actions 4 (Research Careers) and 13 (Empowering Higher Education Institutions). Following YERUN’s commitment on the implementation of the ERA Policy Agenda, participants found the conversation extremely valuable to have a better understanding of how YERUN can actively contribute to the European Research Area.
YERUN values the great work and commitment of its groups, such as the YPP and the contribution they give in shaping European Policies on Education and Research. The in-person meetings surely gave an important added value to this important mission. We look forward to meeting colleagues in person again and to continuing the conversation with our policy makers at national and European level!
