The European Research and Innovation Days launched in 2019 is an annual policy event bringing together world leaders from industry, finance, academia and business to debate and shape the future research and innovation landscape. At the same time, it aims to mobilize all EU citizens and increase the general awareness and understanding of how important research and innovation are in addressing societal challenges. A celebration of the very best research and innovation Europe has to offer, from light-bulb moments to world-beating new technologies.

The virtual WCEFonline event is part of the World Circular Economy Forum and will bring together circular change-makers from around the world to show practical circular economy examples that will help us to seize this unique opportunity to rebuild our economies stronger, greener and better. Covering six separate sessions, WCEFonline will enable the circular community from all over the world to participate in the discussions. The sessions will provide different lenses through which business leaders and policy makers can assess the risks and opportunities associated with their resource dependence. The key questions answered include how the circular economy helps in building more resilient businesses, why sustainable finance is key, and what governments need to focus on now to scale up the circular economy. We are proud to invite you to this fully virtual event with high level keynotes from around the world. WCEFonline will present some of the world’s top business leaders, policy makers and thinkers as speakers. These include Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations’ Environment Programme; Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission; Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change of Canada; and Jyrki Katainen, President of Sitra, among others. Sitra is a future fund that collaborates with partners from different sectors to research, trial and implement bold new ideas that shape the future. The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra is organising WCEFonline together with the African Circular Economy Alliance, Circular Economy Leadership Coalition, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the European Commission, Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, in collaboration with the Governments of Canada, Finland and the Netherlands, and WCEF2021 partners including International Chamber of Commerce, Nordic Innovation, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and UN Environment

Co-organised by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and RSA Europe, the third "Conference on Smart Specialisation and Territorial Development: Connecting grand societal challenges with local goals in place-based innovation policy" will take place from the 30th of September to the 2d of October 2020 in Seville, Spain. The conference will provide a comprehensive picture of the Smart Specialisation policy experience, including an evaluation of its results and an account of its recent developments both conceptually and empirically. The conference also offers an opportunity to discuss and compare different territorial development approaches, exploring how they engage with the European Commission's priorities for 2019-2014 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Submission of complete special session and paper proposals should be sent through the Regional Studies Association online portal by the 15th of May 2020.

EU Green Week 2020 is now scheduled for 20-22 October 2020, on the theme of nature and biodiversity. It will highlight the contribution biodiversity makes to society and the economy, and the role it can play in supporting and stimulating recovery in a post-pandemic world, bringing jobs and sustainable growth. The recovery is an opportunity for a fresh start, in the knowledge that transformative change is possible. It’s a chance to rethink our relationship with nature, to reconsider the activities that are driving biodiversity loss and the wider ecological crisis, and to weigh up the implications for our economy and society. EU Green Week will examine how EU policies such as the European Green Deal can help protect and restore nature, leaving it room to recover and thrive. This year’s Green Week will also act as a milestone on the path to the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, now planned for 2021, where world leaders will adopt a 10-year action plan for biodiversity – a new global deal for people and nature.