Partnering for the Future: Green ERA-Hub (GEH) Project and Central and Eastern European Countries Workshop
Budapest, 8 October 2024 – The Green ERA-Hub (GEH) project, funded under Horizon Europe, hosted a pivotal workshop on 7-8 October in Budapest. Organized by the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture during Hungary’s Presidency of the BIOEAST Initiative, the workshop brought together key stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and lay the groundwork for establishing a new Research and Innovation (R&I) partnership in the Central and Eastern European region.
The BIOEAST Initiative, a political alliance initiated by the Visegrad Group Countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) and later expanded to include Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, and Slovenia, aims to support the development of knowledge-based agriculture, aquaculture, and forestry in the bioeconomy. This initiative offers a shared strategic research and innovation framework to develop sustainable bioeconomies across Central and Eastern European countries.
During the workshop, the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture, a key advocate for advancing regional R&I, reaffirmed its commitment to establishing a new partnership that will foster a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient R&I ecosystem for Central and Eastern European countries. This initiative aims to enhance cooperation among the 11 participating Ministries of Agriculture, ensuring that national and regional priorities are aligned with European goals.
Mr. Barna Kovács, Secretary-General of the BIOEAST Initiative, and Mr. Ákos Kristóf from the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture presented the BIOEAST Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) and the Stakeholder Manifesto. These documents will serve as a foundation for developing a robust strategic framework. They emphasized Hungary’s leading role in supporting the research planning activities of the Central and Eastern European countries, setting the stage for a new partnership that will leverage national strengths and promote collective advancements.
The workshop provided a platform for discussing the current status of joint programming for Central and Eastern European countries and exploring future opportunities for collaboration. A key focus was establishing and strengthening direct personal contacts among participants, sharing experiences, and evaluating past efforts to enhance future outcomes.
PRIMA’s Contribution
The Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) actively contributed to the discussions through its project coordinator, Antonella Autino, and its Scientific Advisory Committee Chair, Maroun El Moujabber. Antonella Autino provided an overview of PRIMA’s unique complexity as an Article 185 EU Partnership, emphasizing how collaboration within PRIMA has strengthened research excellence across the Mediterranean and the Balkans. “Our collaboration offers new opportunities to align research priorities and foster scientific excellence. By strengthening our collaborative efforts, we can ensure that research outcomes effectively address regional challenges while contributing to the broader European R&I landscape,” said Antonella Autino.
Maroun El Moujabber, who also contributes to the project in Work Package 2, presented ongoing efforts to align scientific priorities and identify new domains for future PRIMA calls that extend beyond the traditional thematic areas outlined in the PRIMA Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). “We are exploring additional domains to enrich our existing strategic agenda, including cross-cutting themes that reflect emerging global challenges and opportunities. This process is essential for keeping our R&I strategy dynamic and responsive to evolving scientific, societal, and economic needs,” highlighted Maroun El Moujabber. He also emphasized the importance of building synergies between PRIMA’s objectives and broader Horizon Europe priorities to ensure a holistic and impactful research strategy.
As part of its broader engagement with the Southern Neighborhood and Balkan countries, PRIMA, through its Future4PRIMA initiative, aims to expand its network and reinforce collaboration in the region. The Future4PRIMA project is planning an event in March 2025 in Sofia, Bulgaria, in collaboration with the Ministry of Innovation and Growth. This event will coincide with the launch of the first PRIMA calls under Horizon Europe, aiming to engage the research community in Bulgaria and facilitate consortium-building to respond to PRIMA’s 2025 calls.
With Bulgaria having joined as a full PRIMA Participating State in mid-2024, the Future4PRIMA project is exploring further extensions to other Balkan countries, fostering a broader and more inclusive research community across the region.
The workshop, co-organized with the Hungarian National Research, Development, and Innovation Office, marked a significant milestone in promoting synergies, strengthening research collaborations, and fostering a unified approach to R&I in Central and Eastern Europe.
For more information about PRIMA and its upcoming initiatives, please visit the :
PRIMA website.
