The European Commission launched a call for experts to join the five Mission Boards, with the role of advising on the implementation of the EU Missions. The five Mission Boards will have up to 15 independent top experts for each Mission.

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said:

This call for new Mission Boards members is the opportunity to take on new skills and bring together top experts to support the Missions. They will help inspire citizens and advise on the implementation plans. Together we will make our Missions a success.

The main tasks of the new Mission Boards will be to promote the EU Missions by raising awareness of the citizens and advice on the actions of the Mission’s implementation plan. The Mission Boards resulting from this call for application will build on the work of the first phase Mission Boards (in charge until December 2021).

The Mission Boards advise on the full implementation of the five EU Missions working on:

  • Adaptation to Climate Change;
  • Cancer;
  • Restore our Ocean and Waters;
  • Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities;
  • Soil Deal for Europe.

Requirements

Each Mission Board shall consist of up to 15 independent high-level individuals with excellent expertise in serving public authorities and citizens, and in combining public and/or private funding. In forming Mission Boards, the Commission is seeking to create balanced teams with diverse profiles. These should cover several domains such as business, public administration, science, culture, citizen engagement, and civil society organisations, from across Europe and beyond. 

The Mission Board members should have the capacity for strategic analysis thinking, and show a deep commitment to the success of the Missions. The Mission Board should be capable of devising, demonstrating, applying and upscaling solutions on the ground in order to implement the Missions.

Application

The call for applications is available online. The deadline for applications is 02 February 2022, 17h00, CET. Interested individuals are invited to submit their application in the online survey-management system (EUSurvey).

Background

The establishment of the ‘Mission Boards’ was a key step towards the implementation of Horizon Europe, following the partial political agreement reached in April 2019 between the European Parliament and the Council. In 2019, the first phase of the five Mission Boards were formed to help specify, design and start the implementation of Missions for Horizon Europe. The first phase Mission Boards’ mandate ends at the end of 2021, their formation was the result of an open call for expressions of interest.

During the first phase, two important milestones have been reached; first when the Mission Boards submitted their reports to the Commission at the European R&I days event on 22 September 2019 and second when the proposals of the Mission Boards were endorsed politically by the Commission on 26 October 2020 and were identified in the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan in March 2021.

EU Missions are a new and innovative initiative under Horizon Europe that will deliver a transformative impact for society, the economy, and the environment, by a fixed timeline. EU Missions will support Europe’s transformation into a greener, healthier, more inclusive and resilient continent. They aim to bring tangible benefits to people in Europe and engage Europeans in their design, implementation and monitoring.