The GEMSTONE Project at Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University (ACU) is proud to announce the release of a new joint policy brief and its supplementary policy factsheets on Twinning calls, prepared collaboratively by eight sister Twinning projects under the GEMSTONE coordination, and now publicly available via Zenodo.
Titled “Twinning for Europe's Competitiveness: Keeping Excellence Connected Across All Regions,” the policy brief brings together insights and evidence from diverse Twinning projects – spanning neuroscience, environmental monitoring, cultural heritage, business innovation, and social sciences – to demonstrate how the Twinning instrument has effectively strengthened Europe’s research excellence, institutional capacity, and international collaboration. It underscores Twinning’s proven scalability, cost-efficiency, and unique role in fostering inclusion within the European Research Area.
Among the key messages, the brief calls for the reinstatement of annual Twinning calls under the WIDERA Work Programme to prevent regression in research capacity and sustain the momentum achieved since Horizon 2020. It also outlines actionable recommendations for improving future Twinning schemes, emphasising sustainability, mutual benefits for Widening and non-Widening countries, and stronger synergies with other Horizon Europe initiatives such as Excellence Hubs, Pillar II, and the European Innovation Council.
The publication is the result of coordinated efforts by project managers and researchers from GEMSTONE, BAANG, EarthBridge, HybridNeuro, REMODEL, REMOTE XUAR, SMART4ENV, and TwinVECTOR projects. Together, these initiatives represent a powerful collective voice from the Widening community, showcasing how collaborative EU funding can yield long-lasting impacts on scientific excellence, management capacity, and policy engagement.
“Twinning has proven to be one of the most impactful and cost-efficient instruments under Horizon Europe for building sustainable research excellence,” said Cem Öztürk, Project Manager of GEMSTONE. “Through this joint effort, we wanted to show compelling evidence of how Twinning transforms institutions, creates talent pipelines, and fosters true European cooperation.”
Aimed at European policymakers, National Contact Points, research funders, and stakeholders involved in shaping Horizon Europe and the European Research Area, the brief presents a unified position on the future of the Twinning instrument under the WIDERA Work Programme and provides concrete solutions to strengthen Europe’s R&I cohesion, competitiveness, and inclusiveness.
- Access the full policy brief here: Twinning for Europe's Competitiveness: Keeping Excellence Connected Across All Regions
- Access the supplementary policy factsheets here: Why Twinning Matters: Factsheets for Policymakers, Research Community, and the Public