The ESSC met with representatives from the European Commission in Brussels on 30 January 2020. The interaction was very positive. Several items were discussed during that meeting, based on the Document ESSC produced for the Horizon Europe Consultation (“ESSC Contribution for the Horizon Europe Consultation”, October 2019)

The discussions notably focused on:

• Space Weather, where the ESSC will propose a concept for a workshop with selected participants in order to create common understanding on the state of the art of research and reflect how to develop a R&I roadmap
• « European Talents » and STEM education
• Calibration and Validation of Earth observation data
• Research in life and physical sciences
• Big Data

The overall impression was that the ESSC connection to the DG Defense, Industry and Space (DG-DEFIS) was important and beneficial to both parties and with the perspective of establishing a long-term dialogue, forthcoming meetings will be scheduled.