Participation as a partner in consortium for the topic HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-STAYHLTH-03: Building public trust and outreach in the life sciences

FUNDECYT-PCTEX plays the role of a Development and Innovation Agency as it provides technical assistance to the Regional Government for the design and implementation of policies, such as the Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3), the Digital Agenda of Extremadura, or the Regional Business Incubators Network, and operates as a support office for enterprises, the University of Extremadura, R&D centres and other regional stakeholders to foster innovation.

Within this topic, FUNDECYT-PCTEX can contribute as an implementation, outreach and citizen engagement partner, supporting the consortium in:

• Providing advisory support and training to life science stakeholders on science communication, risk communication, and public engagement, including bilateral engagement with regional actors.

• Designing and implementing inclusive and participatory citizen engagement activities.

• Contributing to activities focused on agriculture and food technology, a strategic sector in Extremadura.

• Supporting policy uptake, sustainability and long-term impact, embedding project outcomes into regional and interregional strategies (for instance, RIS3 and other innovation policies).

FUNDECYT-PCTEX also brings experience in interregional cooperation, digital innovation ecosystems and EU project coordination, including through initiatives such as the Technologies for the Efficiency Digital Innovation Hub (T4E EDIH) and the UNITE project on digital health. The organisation is particularly interested in collaborations that strengthen public trust and promote responsible research and innovation in the life sciences through citizen-centred approaches.