John Bell

Dr John Bell is the European Commission’s ‘Healthy Planet” Director leading DG Research & Innovation policy transitions on Climate Change, Bioeconomy, Food Systems, Environment, Biodiversity, Water, Circular Economy, Oceans and the European Green Deal.

He leads the EU’s €10 billion Horizon Europe Research & Innovation programme across these planetary transitions and SDGs. As co-Chair of the EU Governing Board of €2 billion Circular Bio-based Europe institutionalised partnership with industry, he leads the deployment of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy.

He is the Deputy Mission Manager for the EC’s moonshot Green Deal “Mission”: “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030”. His commitment to international research and innovation cooperation ranges from the Atlantic Ocean Galway and Belém Alliances, Arctic cooperation, International Bioeconomy Forum, Global Earth Observation GEO, Mediterranean Water Agriculture PRIMA and African Union Food and Nutrition Security.

Through his commitment to science diplomacy for sustainability, he has delivered a 1000 research teams’ programme All-Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance through the “Galway” and “Belém” Declarations with the US, Canada, Brazil, South Africa, Argentina, Cabo Verde, Morocco.