Horizon Europe planning - EC announces 5 Mission Boards and their membership

Cancer
Horizon Europe
climate action
Mission Boards
Connie Hedegaard
Harald zu Hausen
Pascal Lamy
Cees Veerman
Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz
Soil health
food
WTO
healthy oceans
Coastal waters
inland waters

by michael rogers

The EU Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas announced the names of the experts who have been selected as members* of the mission boards to work on five major European research and innovation missions. The missions will be part of Horizon Europe, the next EU research and innovation programme (2021-2027). 

Each mission board consists of 15 experts, including the chair. They will identify the first possible specific missions on cancer, climate change, healthy oceans, climate-neutral cities and healthy soil and food by the end of 2019. In addition, for each mission an assembly will be established, gathering a larger number of high-level experts. The assemblies provide an additional pool of ideas, knowledge and expertise that will be actively called upon to contribute to the success of the five missions.

Commissioner Moedas said:

Missions will address some of the main challenges European citizens are facing. With their vision and knowledge, I am confident that these first-rate  experts will help making missions a success, inspiring citizens and showing them what Europe, and research and innovation, can do about the issues that matter most to them.

Over 2100 individuals from across the EU and beyond applied to become member of a mission board. The selection process ensured that the boards are composed of creative and highly motivated experts from a wide range of backgrounds, including academics, innovators, civil society, industry, finance and end-users. A first discussion with citizens, stakeholders and experts from Member States will take place at the European Research and Innovation Days in Brussels from 24 to 26 September.

The Commission is establishing five ‘mission boards’ in total. Their first deliverable will be to propose concrete targets and timelines for each mission by the end of 2019. They will be chaired by the following outstanding individuals who will contribute with their experience, authority and credibility: 

  1. Ms Connie Hedegaard, former European Commissioner for Climate Action, for the mission on ‘Adaptation to Climate Change including Societal Transformation’
  2. Professor Harald zur Hausen, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, for the mission on ‘Cancer’
  3. Mr Pascal Lamy, former Trade Commissioner and Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, for the mission on ‘Healthy Oceans, Seas, Coastal and Inland Waters’
  4. Professor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, former Mayor of Warsaw, for the mission on ‘Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities’
  5. Mr Cees Veerman, former Dutch Agriculture Minister, for the mission on ‘Soil Health and Food’.

Full membership of each board can be seen at https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/research_and_innovation/strategy_on_research_and_innovation/documents/ec_rtd_members-mission-boards_072019.pdf

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