Celebrating International Partnerships for Europe Day 2018

Europe Day, held on 9 May every year, celebrates peace and unity in Europe. The date marks the anniversary of the historical ‘Schuman declaration’.

“To celebrate Europe Day, the EU institutions open their doors to the public on¬†5th May in Brussels, 5th and 9th May in Luxembourg, and¬†10th June in Strasbourg.

At a speech in Paris in 1950, Robert Schuman, the then French foreign minister, set out his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe, which would make war between Europe‚Äôs nations unthinkable. His vision was to create a European institution that would pool and manage coal and steel production. A treaty creating such a body was signed just under a year later. Schuman‚Äôs proposal is considered to be the beginning of what is now the European Union. The EU represents over sixty years of peace, protection for workers and opportunities for businesses.” Source:¬†https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/symbols/europe-day_en

As we look towards continuing the success of business opportunities, KTN supports many events throughout the lifetime of its EU Funded Projects which seek to¬†strengthen our international collaborations with European Countries. One example is the Horizon 2020 funded project¬†Synergic Circular Economy Across European Regions (SCREEN), (of which KTN is a project partner), which hosted a Cluster Workshop in London earlier this year entitled “Circular Economy across European Regions: Synergies and Complementarities”. The workshop was integral in highlighting the relationships that would continue to take place following the UK leaving the EU.

The UK Government reaffirmed commitment to science, research and innovation with the guarantee to underwrite Horizon 2020 funding providing further reassurance to UK businesses and universities. Through this guarantee, any successful bid submitted before the UK leaves the EU will be funded for the lifetime of the project. This ensures businesses and universities can feel confident bidding for Horizon 2020 funds while the UK remains a member of the EU. For further information, click here for an overview with Q&As.

The KTN provides advice and support for UK companies in engaging with Horizon 2020. You can get help from the KTN to: find funding opportunities; form partnerships and develop your project proposals. KTN works closely with the National Contact Points and with the Enterprise Europe Network to optimise support to UK businesses wishing to apply for European funding.

Visit https://www.ktn-uk.co.uk/programmes/eu-programmes for more information.