Author: Gloria Bevilacqua
The widerAdvance Facility, a new initiative developed under the WIDERA package of Horizon Europe, aims to transform the research and innovation landscape in Widening Countries and Outermost Regions. Coordinated by the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, this ambitious project brings together 17 partners from Widening Countries, Outermost Regions, and advanced regions.
Funded by Horizon Europe under the Dissemination and Exploitation Support Facility (Call: HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-ACCESS-05-01), the widerAdvance Facility is strategically designed to address challenges in research valorisation, dissemination, and exploitation. By providing structured and tailored support, the initiative enhances the capacities of research teams, research management professionals (RMAs), technology transfer specialists, and organisation management to achieve long-term impact from their Key Exploitable Results (KERs). The widerAdvance Facility complements existing European Commission tools, such as the Horizon Results Booster and the IPR Helpdesk, while introducing new opportunities for beneficiaries in Widening Countries and Outermost Regions.
Addressing Regional Barriers
The widerAdvance Facility’s strategic goal is to empower organisations in Widening Countries and Outermost Regions that generate KERs through projects under the Widening package of Horizon 2020 and WIDERA within Horizon Europe. This includes, in particular, instruments such as Teaming for Excellence, Excellence Hubs, ERA Chairs, Twinning, or COST Innovation Actions.
The first call for organisations from Widening Countries and Outermost Regions is planned for June 2025. The simple application process will serve as an entry point to a wide portfolio of services, starting with individual advisory support in exploitation, IP, standardisation, and dissemination. Additional services include capacity building, peer learning and study visits, matchmaking events, and exploiting synergies with cohesion policy. The initiative aims to support 750 Key Exploitable Results within the European Research Area.
Closing the Innovation Divide
The initiative will also contribute to the policy dialogue in the field of Knowledge Valorisation by delivering comprehensive policy recommendations to enhance the exploitation and dissemination of research results from Widening projects. These recommendations will specifically address strategies to overcome persistent barriers, such as limited research management capacities, weak technology transfer, and insufficient intellectual property expertise, which often hinder institutions in Widening Countries and Outermost Regions. By analysing challenges and showcasing best practices, the Facility seeks to provide actionable insights that foster systemic improvements.
Europa Media will contribute to the communication, dissemination and exploitation of the project results, by creating the visual identity of the project, and supporting the management of the communication channels - Website, Linkedin and Bluesky. Our team will also be actively involved in the outreach activities of relevant Widening projects and potential beneficiaries in Hungary, as well as in the delivery of webinars and trainings to the Facility beneficiaries.
