2021 Exploratory Research Projects

For the second time since the start of Phase 3, the Program managed to secure funds both in Portugal and UT Austin to launch a new Exploratory Research Projects Call in 2021.

No significant changes were made to the Terms of Reference and Call Announcement of the previous edition. Only the application period was shortened to one month and a half, which might explain the slight decrease in the total number of proposals received compared to the same indicator in 2019. As usual, our transatlantic team stepped in to bring people from both sides together by publishing and disseminating cooperation profiles and arranging meetings to expedite partnership formation.

40 out of 44 applications were deemed eligible to proceed to the evaluation stage by an independent high-calibre panel of international experts across all areas of the Program, most of which had evaluated and scored the former batch of ERPs. Received applications indicated an increasing focus on R&D for health- and energy-related projects, with Nanotechnology consolidating its status as a cross-cutting area. The set of funded projects shows that cancer detection diagnosis and treatment channels most of the funds devoted to this Call.