State of the European Union

Wednesday the 14 of September the European Commission's president, Ursula von der Leyen, held the annual “State of the European Union” speech. In the speech von der Leyen signalized many of the Commission's priorities for the upcoming year. 

The main themes throughout the speech were the war in Ukraine and energy prices. Von der Leyen points out the importance of getting less depended on Russian gas. Establishing stronger relationships with reliable partners such as Norway, and the green transition are key in this needed “change of paradigm”. Regarding the latter she announced a Hydrogen Bank, that will invest €3 billion to develop Europe's hydrogen economy. “This is how we power the economy of the future. This is the Green Deal”, von der Leyen said. In addition, the Critical Raw Materials Act, policies on gas, support for SMBs and a continued agenda for NextGenerationEU were presented. 

In the face of this “economy of the future” we need the necessary competence. The Commission announced 2023 as the European Year of Skills. At the moment many European companies are lacking staff, and that’s why Europe for example needs more engineers, IT technicians and nurses. In the necessary investment on education, it is important to cooperate with the companies' needs and people's aspirations. Read more about the speech's importance for research, innovation and education here. 

The future of the EIC Accelerator

At the moment the European Commission is restructuring the EIC Accelerator, within the third pillar of Horizon Europe. In this article published on our website you can read about the presented solutions. 

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Visit from the CEO of Innovation Norway

Håkon Haugli, the CEO of Innovation Norway, visited Brussels on Thursday the 29 of September and Friday the 30 of September. During his stay he visited the NorCore office and attended a variety of meetings, such as one with the Acting Director-General, Signe Ratso, of the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. In addition, he also met the Norwegian ambassador to the EU and several counsellors from the Norwegian Mission to the EU.  

Håkon Haugli summed up the visit saying that he had good meetings with partners, and that it was great to spend time with Innovation Norway's team in Brussels. Finally, he highlighted the importance of Innovation Norway's continued work in understanding and connecting Norwegian businesses with opportunities created within the framework and strategic priorities established by the EU.  

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Meeting with the Norwegian Minister of Education

The Norwegian Minister of Education, Tonje Brenna, also visited Brussels in the end of September. She met with Norwegian stakeholders, as well as with representatives from the European Commission. The topic of interest during her stay in Brussels was European cooperation within education, and associated challenges.  

Margunn Instefjord from the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, currently at NorCore, participated in a meeting with the Minister. They discussed both NorCore's role in Brussels and the significance of Erasmus+ for the primary and secondary education and training sector in Norway. In a video by the Mission of Norway to the EU, Tonje Brenna highlights how Norway and Europa face similar challenges within education, and that she therefore is happy about the cooperation with the EU. 

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Gathering for Norwegian trainees at NorCore

Thursday 16 of September we hosted a gathering for Norwegian interns and trainees in Brussels. The event was organized by NorCore's trainee Magnus Stakkestad and innovation Norway's trainee Hermine Wilhelmsen. This is an event that NorCore arranges every semester for the newly arrived trainees from Norway.   

The main purpose is to create a social arena where the trainees can meet up, network and get to know each other. At the same time, it is also a great opportunity to introduce the new trainees to our office's work. Karin Totland, Aleksander Olsen and Margunn Instefjord held a presentation, that showcased our mission in supporting Norwegian participation in Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe.    

After the presentation the gathering continued with pizza, drinks and a quiz. We want to thank everyone who participated and wish all the trainees a good stay in Brussels!   

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Staff changes at NorCore

With the start of a new semester Theresa Aarhus has luft us, and Magnus Stakkestad and Margunn Instefjord have joined our team. Read more about their backround for arriving in Brussels in this article on our website.