The PINK project, with the support of EC-DG RTD, EC JRC, NSC, IAM-I and some Horizon Europe SSbD-related projects, is organising a satellite workshop on 3-4 November 2026 in Brussels, directly before the European Commission’s Feedback-to-Policy Stakeholder Workshop (4-5 November 2026, Brussels). The workshop builds on the SSbD Horizon Europe Projects Networking event organised by the EC in March 2026.
This Workshop on SSbD Project Legacy will bring together Horizon Europe projects working on Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) and related material development projects to address a question that is becoming increasingly important as many projects approach their final phase: How can the valuable capabilities developed by our projects continue to create impact beyond the lifetime of individual Horizon Europe projects and how can we intensify collaborations to reach this legacy?
Rather than focusing on individual project results, the workshop will explore the collective legacy of the European SSbD project portfolio and discuss how key outputs — including products, methodologies, digital tools, FAIR data resources, demonstrators, standards, stakeholder networks and other strategic capabilities — can be sustained, further developed and embedded within the wider European SSbD and advanced materials ecosystem.
The workshop will complement, rather than duplicate, the Feedback-to-Policy event. While the Commission’s workshop focuses on gathering evidence to inform future research and innovation policy, this satellite workshop is focusing specifically on the future of the SSbD project community and on identifying concrete actions for preserving and building upon the legacy of current Horizon Europe projects.
The discussions will be guided by three central questions:
- What is the legacy of Europe’s SSbD projects?
- Which elements of this legacy deserve long-term stewardship?
- How can this legacy best be embedded within the wider European SSbD ecosystem (e.g. through initiatives such as IRISS, IAM-I, standardisation activities and future European programmes)?
The workshop is envisaged as a highly interactive meeting combining plenary discussions and breakout sessions. A key objective is to move beyond networking and develop a shared Legacy Roadmap, including concrete collaborative actions, potential governance pathways and clearly identified responsibilities for follow-up. This vision will then directly inform the Feedback-to-Policy Stakeholder Workshop potentially in the form of a joint statement or policy brief drafted during the satellite, and the results will feed into an SSbD Legacy Roadmap, Action Register and Policy Brief.
Details:
- Target participants: Coordinators and key representatives of Horizon Europe SSbD projects and selected representatives of complementary European initiatives.
- Workshop Agenda (draft)
- Further information
Interested in participating? Register here to attend.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts and hope that you will be able to contribute to shaping this joint initiative.
Kind regards,
Christian Seitz and Thomas Exner, The PINK Project