Dr. John Bell is the European Commission’s ‘Healthy Planet” Director leading DG Research & Innovation policy transitions on Climate Change, Bioeconomy, Food Systems, Environment, Biodiversity, Water, Circular Economy, Oceans and the European Green Deal.
He leads the EU’s €10 billion Horizon Europe Research & Innovation programme across these planetary transitions. He is the Chair of the €2 billion Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking’s Governing Board, and he leads the deployment of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy.
He is co-leading one of the EC’s moonshot Green Deal “Missions”: “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030”. Through his commitment to science diplomacy for sustainability, he has delivered a 1000 research teams’ programme All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance through the “Galway” and “Belém” Declarations with the US, Canada, Brazil, South Africa, Argentina, Capo Verde, Morocco, as well as Arctic cooperation, International Bioeconomy Forum, Global Earth Observation, Mediterranean Water Agriculture PRIMA and African Union Food and Nutrition Security.
He has participated in all previous instalments of the R&I Days either as speaker, moderator or panellist.
Organization
European Commission
Position
Director Healthy Planet, Directorate-General for Research & Innovation