Citizen and societal engagement can improve the quality, effectiveness, and trust of society in research and innovation (R&I). It is an integral part of the EU’s open science policy and an agreed priority for the European Research Area (ERA). Open science is an approach based on open cooperative work and the systematic sharing of knowledge and tools as early and widely within the R&I process as possible, through the involvement of all relevant knowledge actors — including citizens, civil society and end users — in the co-creation of R&I agendas and contents.

The importance assigned to broad engagement action is reflected in Horizon Europe, where engagement is foreseen across the programme and particularly in the Clusters and Missions. The challenge is to ensure that high-quality practices, tailored to context, help support the Sustainable Development Goals and other societal objectives in the European Research Agenda and Horizon Europe, building on the efforts of Horizon 2020.

Mission-oriented R&I relates EU research and innovation better to society and citizens’ needs whilst achieving strong impact and visibility, and is the core of the ERA. Citizen engagement is thus a key element of the EU Missions, which constitute a coordinated effort by the Commission to pool the necessary resources in terms of funding programmes, policies and regulations, as well as other activities whilst also aiming to mobilise and activate public and private actors Consequently, the Missions have the potential to mobilise EU citizens around common goals and to offer meaningful opportunities of engagement to participate in change, They also incorporate the insight that opening science and innovation to civil society advances human knowledge and accelerates the transformation of our communities towards more sustainable and resilient practices.

Citizens play a key role in the R&I cycle by providing feedback on new technologies and by ensuring societal uptake of disruptive solutions. With this in mind, key features for citizen and societal engagement in Horizon Europe (open science, co-design and co-creation, and engagement of citizens and civil society organisations) have been mainstreamed across the programme.

As part of its multi-annual strategic plan, the University of Malta is committed to boost its research engagement and impact on society and the world. The Committee for Research Engagement (CRE) has been set up to achieve this ambitious objective. Get in touch with members of the CRE (Prof. Inġ. Simon Fabri, Prof. Frank Bezzina, Dr Edward Duca) in order to know more how the University’s research can make a fruitful impact in the society that we live in.