Workshop on SSbD Project Legacy

Tuesday, 3 November 2026 and Wednesday, 4 November 2026

Location: ARTS 56 building, 4th floor, Av. des Arts 56, Brussels, Belgium

Broadcasting option: to be announced  

About the workshop

Over the past years, the European Commission has invested substantially in the development and implementation of the SSbD framework through numerous Horizon Europe projects. Collectively, these projects have generated a broad portfolio of scientific knowledge, assessment methodologies, digital tools, FAIR data infrastructures, industrial demonstrators, policy recommendations and stakeholder networks. Many first-generation SSbD projects have reached / will reach their conclusion by the end of 2027. However, an important question, already addressed in the SSbD Networking Event in March 2026, remains:

How can these capabilities continue to generate value after the projects themselves have ended?

The Workshop on SSbD Project Legacy, run as a satellite event to a Feedback-to-Policy Workshop organised by DG RTD and HaDEA, addresses this transition. Rather than focusing on individual project achievements, the workshop aims to explore how the collective legacy of Horizon Europe SSbD projects can be preserved, connected and further developed within the broader European SSbD ecosystem.

Why now:

It is never too early to think about sustainability of project outcomes (and about environmental and social sustainability). However, as already mentioned above, the workshop, while having a very specific purpose, is a part of the follow-up activities and a preparation for events organised by the European Commission:

  • The SSbD Stakeholder Conference and Networking Event in March 2026 marked an important step towards strengthening collaboration between projects. The discussions were subsequently complemented by an EU-wide survey and follow-up exchanges among project coordinators.
  • The upcoming Feedback-to-Policy (F2P) Workshop aims to draw lessons from Horizon Europe Cluster 4 (Industry) projects on how EU funding can effectively support the innovation-to-investment journey. The knowledge and experiences shared during the event will contribute to discussions on the design of synergies between the next Horizon Europe Framework Programme (2028–2034) and the European Competitiveness Fund.

Please contact us if you want to get more information on the satellite and/or the F2P workshop.

Agenda - 3 November 2026

11:00 – 11:30

Registration and first networking

11:30 – 12:00

Opening (organisers, EU representatives)

  • Welcome
  • Objectives
  • Expected outputs
  • Working methodology

12:30 – 13:00

Setting the scene

  • Outcomes of the March networking event
  • Survey results
  • Current project landscape

13:00 – 14:00

Finger-food lunch

14:00 – 15:30

Breakouts sessions (What constitutes the legacy of our projects?)

Participating projects will be invited to submit selected project results and capabilities of particular relevance to the future SSbD legacy prior to the workshop. A predefined Legacy Card template will be circulated shortly and submissions collected approximately two weeks before the Brussels meeting. Based on these contributions, the organisers may adapt the thematic clustering of the breakout sessions to best reflect the collective project legacy.

15:30 – 16:00

Coffee & Tea

16:00 – 16:30

Plenary 

  • Presentation of legacy elements from breakout groups
  • Consolidation into a common Legacy Map

16:30 – 17:30

Breakouts groups – How can the legacy be sustained? (Part 1)

19:00

Dinner (self-paid and self-organised)

Agenda - 4 November 2026

9:00 – 10:00

Breakout groups – How can the legacy be sustained (part 2)

10:00 – 10:30

Plenary – Action Agreement Session

  • Action register to be completed

10:30 – 10:45

Grab a Coffee & Tea

10:45 – 12:00

Closing session

  • Legacy Roadmap
  • Rough Outline of a Policy Brief (editorial responsibilities)
  • Follow-up coordination

12:00 – 13:30

Grabbing lunch (self-organised) and walking over to the F2P Workshop

13:30

Begin of F2P Workshop

Co-organised by: