The overall aim of the AERO-UA project is to stimulate aviation research collaboration between the EU and Ukraine through strategic and targeted support. AERO-UA is focused solely on Ukraine, because the country has a huge aerospace potential but a low level of aviation research collaboration with the EU. Ukraine’s aerospace sector spans the full spectrum of systems and components development and production with OEMs, Tier 1 and 2 suppliers, aeroengine manufacturers, control systems manufacturers, R&D institutions, aeronautic universities, and SMEs. This is also reflected in the sector's important contributor to the country’s economy (e.g. aircraft production of €1,9 billion in 2011). Ukrainian aerospace organisations possess unique know-how that can help Europe address the challenges identified in the ACARE SRIA / Flightpath 2050 Report. Furthermore, following the signing of the Agreement for the Association of Ukraine to Horizon 2020 in March 2015, Ukrainian organisations are eligible to participate in Clean Sky 2 and H2020 Transport on the same funding terms as those from EU member states. Equally, genuine commercial opportunities exist for European aviation organisations to help modernise Ukraine’s aerospace sector. The AERO-UA project will achieve its overall aim via four high-level objectives: 1. Identifying the barriers to increased EU-UA aviation research collaboration; 2. Providing strategic support to EU-UA aviation research collaboration; 3. Supporting EU-UA aviation research knowledge transfer pilot projects; and 4. Organising awareness-raising and networking between EU-UA stakeholders. The AERO-UA consortium is comprised of key EU and UA aviation organisations that will implement WPs closely mapped to the high-level objectives. The consortium will be supported by an Advisory Board involving Airbus, DLR, Min. Education and Science of Ukraine, Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise and retired Director of EADS Jean-Pierre Barthélemy.

FIT-4-NMP’s overall objective is to increase the participation of talented newcomers from underrepresented regions in NMP projects in Horizon Europe, as compared to Horizon 2020. Talented newcomers are promising innovation organisations – especially SMEs – that have not participated in H2020 NMP. Meanwhile, underrepresented regions are regions in EU-13, EU-15 and Associated Countries with a low participation in H2020 NMBP. The increase in participation of the talented newcomers will be brought about by connecting them with NMP hotspots, where important NMP innovations are demonstrated, as well as networking them with NMP Top Innovators. FIT-4-NMP will take strategic and targeted approaches to achieve this overall objective. From a strategic perspective, FIT-4-NMP will survey talented newcomers and experts responsible for regional and national R&I policy, in order to understand the precise reasons for non-participation of newcomers in NMP projects. In turn, best practices will be identified and policy measures formulated and communicated to relevant stakeholders: talented newcomers; regional/national authorities responsible for R&I policy; local innovation and technology transfer nodes; and the EC. From a targeted perspective, the FIT-4-NMP will: • Organise innovation workshops between talented newcomers and NMP Top Innovators; • Provide hands-on support to talented newcomers to prepare NMP proposals for Horizon Europe; • Facilitate networking for talented newcomers at major European conferences and regional brokerage events; • Provide training to talented newcomers on technology-transfer, proposal writing, and use of European networking portals. FIT-4-NMP will be undertaken by a strong consortium with partners located among many of the EU member states with the lowest participation in H2020 NMBP. Also, these partners represent “umbrella” organisations with extensive networks to innovative NMP organisations and talented newcomers in their regions.

The overall aim of the project entitled ‘Strengthening Research and Innovation Links towards Ukraine (abbr. RI-LINKS2UA) is to further support and enhance the integration of Ukraine to the European Research Area. The following three core objectives will be archived by a consortium of 12 renewed organisations with professional STI policy and policy analysis background from EU MS /AC (including Ukraine of course): • to further support and stimulate the policy dialogue on R&I between EU and Ukraine and therefore to enable the better integration of Ukraine into ERA, by identifying remaining obstacles, drivers and opportunities through analytical evidence and R&I policy advice; • to contribute to the improvement of supportive framework conditions in the field of R&I through a targeted portfolio of activities in order to systematically enhance and stimulate the EU-Ukraine STI cooperation; • to further encourage and facilitate cooperation between research actors from the EU and Ukraine through a set of supportive R&I measures and by promoting EU-Ukrainian participation in joint projects in Horizon 2020 and other EU funded programmes. In particular RI-LINKS2UA will: • Contribute to the improvement of the framework conditions for EU-Ukraine STI cooperation • Provide an operational tailor-made support to policy dialogue • Strengthen innovation capacity and economic competitiveness • Stimulate and promote the R&I cooperation between EU and Ukraine • Contribute to the governance of Ukrainian participation in the Horizon 2020 and assure practical follow up and long-term impacts by applying diligent dissemination and valorisation precautions. RI-LINKS2UA is supported by ministries responsible for research from 7 EU MS as well as by core members of the project’s consortium from Ukraine, namely the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and National Academy of Sciences. The proposed activities build up on the results of previous EU funded support projects with Ukraine.

Research and innovation (R&I) in Ukraine has seen challenging times since the break-up of the Soviet Union, most recently facing major damage to R&I infrastructure due to the Russian aggression. However, as the country obtained EU candidate status and started the EU negotiations in July 2024, the ambition to promote its research system and ensure its integration into the European Research Area has received a new impetus. The RIFF project will facilitate an upgrade of R&I system in Ukraine by offering a fresh and forward-looking perspective on the Ukrainian research infrastructures RIs). RIFF will deliver Roadmap for Recovery and Enhancement of RIs in Ukraine using both (1) bottom-up approach with an open call for proposals, robust training, awareness raising and dissemination strategy towards potential applicants, rooted in a network of eight partners in Ukraine; and (2) top-down approach with a robust consultation process involving a broad range of stakeholders from the government, policymakers and the scientific community. It will reflect also the green and digital transition priorities. The roadmapping process will apply peer-review methodology established by ESFRI and engage panels of internationally renowned experts. RIFF activities will efficiently connect Ukrainian RIs to EU/ESFRI through the implementation team linked to major European RIs and a comprehensive strategy for enabling mobility and knowledge exchange between EU RIs and the Ukrainian scientific community, including training programme for Ukrainian RI managers, operators and policymakers. Finally, we will implement an ambitious promotion programme among national and international stakeholders. The robust roadmapping approach of RIFF, assisted by leading international experts, will offer credible steps towards recovery and enhancement of RIs in Ukraine. The Roadmap will provide guidance for national funding of RIs, and will also be a trustworthy investment guideline to international donors.

The project 'STI International Cooperation Network for EaP Countries Plus (EaP PLUS)' aims to stimulate cooperation between researchers from the EaP countries and EU MS and enhance the active participation of the Eastern Partnership countries in Horizon 2020 Framework Programme. Building on the results of the predecessor FP7 project 'IncoNet EaP', the project will eliminate remaining obstacles to EU-EaP STI cooperation through a number of innovative and targeted actions: (a) strategic priority setting through supporting EU-EaP policy dialogue and through maximizing the impact of the association to Horizon 2020; (b) stronger interaction between researchers & participation in H2020, i.e. Info days, cooperation with scientific diaspora, and grants for networking; (c) promotion of the research-innovation interface supporting communities of excellence, i.e. co-patenting analyses, clustering schemes, promotion of the technology platforms concept to EaP countries; (d) optimal framework conditions and increasing coordination in policies and programmes through training seminars for STI policymakers, increased coordination and synergies between policies and programmes of EU/MS and EaP, i.e. JPIs, COST, national programmes; (e) communication and outreach through innovative actions