Year to celebrate EU-Russia S&T co-operation begins

The ‘EU-Russia Year of Science 2014’ has been officially launched at an event in Moscow. Its purpose is to celebrate and promote the vibrant and multifaceted scientific and technological co-operation between the two partners.

About 200 events are planned in Russia and EU member states. Some will be dedicated events, while others will include a strong focus and/or special sessions on EU-Russia science and technology co-operation.

The timing of the ‘Year of Science’ benefits from the conjunction of key related events in 2014, including the launch of Horizon 2020, the renewal of the EU-Russia Science and Technology Agreement, the launch of the Russian State Programme and the Russian Federal Targeted Programmes for research and development.

In keeping with the EU’s new international co-operation strategy for research and innovation, future co-operation will focus on three mutually agreed “flagship” priority areas: aeronautics, ICT and research infrastructures. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) and Russia also currently co-operate in many areas, including nuclear energy, the environment, soils and food security, forestry, agriculture and energy efficiency. Plans are being made for further co-operation in various fields through the on-going EU-funded ERA-Net.RUS project, which gathers 18 partner organisations, six from Russia and 12 from the EU, including the JRC.

The EU-Russia S&T Agreement is due for renewal in February 2014, the process of which is now well underway. The EU expects to formally adopt the new agreement by the end of the year.