The ERA_FABRIC Consortium Meeting in Warsaw brought together project leaders to discuss the next steps for ERA Hubs across Europe. Key sessions focused on manners supporting green and digital transitions, promoting multi-stakeholder engagement, and aligning regional actions with EU priorities.
On the first day, after introductory remarks from Aleksandra Mościcka-Studzińska (CEZAMAT WUT) and Maria Grazia Zucchini (ART-ER), Lluís Viñé (EURECAT) introduced policy-transforming tools in WP4, aiming at positioning ERA hubs as central to the green and digital transformation through the Theory of Change framework. Ana Grgic (UNIST) and Simone Hagenauer (ecoplus) presented WP3’s approach to capacity building and governance, focusing on collaboration across sectors and levels of governance. Krzysztof Mieszkowski (WUT) summarised progress on communication and dissemination activities. WP7 is also looking at public engagement strategies, e.g. ERA_FABRIC’s involvement in citizen science activities. Ivana Vuka (UNIST) proposed a concept for the WP2 self-assessment tool to help regions align with the ERA Hubs standards. Lorenzo Mannella (ART-ER) reviewed project monitoring and data management efforts. The day ended with a wrap-up session and a social dinner to encourage less formal discussion among participants.
The second day of the ERA_FABRIC Consortium Meeting in Warsaw built on prior discussions with in-depth workshops and strategic sessions focused on monitoring, regional learning, and sustainability. The day began with a monitoring and evaluation workshop led by Ondřej Hradil and Francesco Molinari, who worked with participants to refine the Theory of Change for ERA Hubs. Their session emphasized theneed for reducing fragmentation across ecosystems and aligning policies to better support regional R&I impacts. Following this,
The most exciting moment of the day was the learning workshop with stakeholders of the Mazowieckie regional research and innovation ecosystem. Marzena Ulanowska and Piotr Dylewski (Marshal Office of Mazowieckie Voivodeship) started the learning workshop by presenting the regional smart specialisation strategy and ecosystem building initiatives. They highlighted initiatives aimed at supporting sustainable regional growth. Ewa Rekosz (Mazovian IT Cluster – National Key Cluster) gave a comprehensive presentation on the cluster and its activities. With a further emphasis on collaborative networks, Katarzyna Kowalska (UNIMOS) shared her experience in fostering cross-sector partnerships and facilitating international expansion, which enhances the competitiveness of local ecosystems on a global scale. Dr Andrzej Stępnikowski (Łukasiewicz-ITeE) presented the Mazovia StartUPolis project, which supports start-up teams in incubation. The presentations sparked a productive discussion among the participants.
Ricardo Miguéis of INESC TEC presented WP6’s approach to ensuring the sustainability and scalability of ERA Hubs. His presentation outlined classification strategies and policy recommendations aimed at creating models adaptable to different European regions. Continuing the focus on quality and impact, Krzysztof Mieszkowski from WUT presented some ideas on how to establish a quality label for ERA Hubs, setting standards to ensure alignment with ERA’s high benchmarks, particularly in terms of sustainability and regional integration.
