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Research and Innovation

Policy Support Facility

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Since 2015, the Horizon Policy Support Facility gives Member States and countries associated to Horizon Europe practical support to design, implement and evaluate reforms that enhance the quality of their research and innovation investments, policies and systems.

The Horizon Europe Policy Support Facility, launched in February 2021, provides good practice, independent high-level expertise and guidance at the request of Member States and Associated Countries through a number of services:

PSF Country (formerly PSF Peer Reviews & Specific support to countries) is an in-depth assessments of a country's R&I system (or of parts of it) carried out by a panel of experts and peers and leading to actionable policy recommendations to the national authorities on reforms necessary to strengthen their R&I system.

PSF Challenge includes the PSF Mutual Learning Exercises and is focused on specific and operational R&I challenges of interest to several volunteering countries. It aims to identify good practice, lessons learned and success factors.

PSF Open allows countries having already benefitted from a PSF exercise to receive support to follow-up on the PSF recommendations.

"The PSF review served as a key inspiration in the drafting of our National R&I Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027, and we are particularly grateful to the professional support that DG R&I’s PSF mechanism has leveraged for the benefit of our R&I policy and monitoring work, benchmarking, and general expertise."

Omar Cutajar, Director for Policy, Strategy and Internationalisation - Malta Council for Science and Technology

At the request of national administrations with R&I competences, the Policy Support Facility provides customer-oriented services to support evidence-based policy making. PSF activities are regularly presented and discussed in the European Research Area and Innovation Committee (ERAC).

To request a PSF exercise, national ministries can contact the PSF Team at RTD-PSF@ec.europa.eu for preliminary discussions before submitting an official request.

For more information on the Horizon Europe Policy Support Facility 2021-2027, this presentation provides a useful summary.

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Upcoming events

  • 27-28 June – Kick-off of PSF MLE on Bridging the gap between Science and Policy
  • 27-28 June – Kick-off of PSF MLE on Research Careers
  • 3 July – Kick-off of PSF MLE on National Policies for AI in Science
  • 17 September - Dissemination event of the PSF MLE on EU Missions implementation at national level (taking place at the ERA Forum)
  • 23-24 September - 'PSF MLE on 'Public Engagement in R&I' meeting on public engagement and framework conditions

Citizen Science at the heart of research and innovation

PSF News

Knowledge Valorisation: a key to maximising R&I impact

The Mutual Learning Exercise (MLE) on Knowledge Valorisation has concluded. Its objective was to empower Member States and Associated Countries to improve policies and public support to turn knowledge into practical solutions that benefit society and economy, with a focus on skills, inter-sectoral collaboration, and incentives.