Transcript Overview of EU R&D on H2/FCs

Conference,
How does research
integration work?
17 June 2008
The issue of ‘research
integration’ and the role of IPs
and NoE in the social sciences
and humanities: objectives and
prospects
Jean-Michel Baer
Director Science, Economy and Society
1
Why are we here ? From
Commission side….
• Excellent initiative by the researchers
themselves: we wish/need to listen !
• Drawing lessons from large projects in FP6
as basis for future steps in FP 7 and
beyond (e.g.Lubljana process)
• Need to know what works best, and what
does not work: in social sciences and
humanities especially it was not to be
taken for granted that large coperative
research may work, but 34 projects seem
to indicate that at least some of it does…
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Large scale research
and ‘integration’
Objectives:
• Of the ‘new instruments’ of FP6: IPs
and NoEs as ways of implementing
and structuring ERA
• Of ‘integration’: Integration of
different research areas of
work/disciplines and of
teams/institutions to reinforce and
spread excellence and to achieve
more structured and durable
cooperation –with attention to pluralism
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Integrated Projects
in FP6 (reminder of the official text)
• Integrated Projects aim at generating the
knowledge required to implement priority themes
(..). They are ambitious projects addressing
different research issues via a “programme
approach” and usually include several
components. They may include long-term or
“risky” research (…)may cover the whole
spectrum from basic to applied research.
• Integrated Projects are expected to assemble the
necessary critical mass of activities, expertise
and resources to achieve ambitious objectives
(objective–driven research). Since critical
mass differs from field to field, and from topic to
topic within a field, the critical-mass criterion is
whether the activities and resources have been
brought together.
4
Networks of Excellence
in FP6 (reminder of official text)
• Networks of Excellence are designed to
strengthen scientific and technological excellence
on a research topic by integrating at a European
level the critical mass of resources and expertise
needed to provide European leadership and to be
a world force in that topic.
• Networks of Excellence are an instrument aimed
at tackling fragmentation of existing research
capacities.
• Networks of Excellence are expected to assemble
the critical mass of resources, activities, and
expertise needed to ensure that they reach their
ambitious objective, e.g. the durable integration
of the participants’ capacities in the area
considered. This critical mass will differ from field
to field.
5
Lesson drawing
process
• 20 IP and 14 NoE in SSH: the SSH
community is willing and capable to
do ‘big science’ in selected areas
• Initiative by CONNEX –in
cooperation with other projects- to
organise this stock taking:
experience of researchers is key !
• Evaluation excercises by RTD
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Some ideas for
the future
SSH roadmapping
• Need for critical mass/EU added value
• Predictability and visibility of EU
research efforts
• Promotion of coherent and
complementary research activities
• Deployment of scientific support to EU
policy-making
• Gains for management efficiency
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Elements to be
considered
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Missions, objectives and legal framework of
SSH research at EU level
Development of ERA
Excellent research in support to EU policies
International dimension
Lessons learnt from the first SSH Call
Budget SSH 2010 – 2013
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Missions, objectives
and legal framework
Addressing challenges
 “Generating an in-depth shared understanding of the complex and
interrelated socio-economic challenges Europe is confronted with”
(SP-SSH)
 “The research priorities address key societal, economic and cultural
challenges facing Europe and the world now and in the future” (SPSSH)
Community policy relevance
 “The research priorities will help improve the formulation,
implementation, impact and assessment of policy including
regulatory measures in many Community policy areas at the EU,
national, regional and local level” (SP-SSH)
 Providing an improved knowledge base for policies in the fields
concerned (FP7-Cooperation)
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Missions, objectives
and legal framework
FP7 method
 “The Commission shall draw up a WP setting out the objectives and
scientific priorities, the funding scheme and the timetable for
implementation”
 “The WP shall take account of relevant research activities carried out by the
MS, associated countries, the achievement of EU added value as well the
impact on industrial competitiveness and the relevance for other EU
policies” (Art 6 FP7-Cooperation)
European added value in FP7
 Promote - by means of trans-national cooperation - high quality, innovative
and comparative research
 “The dissemination and transfer of knowledge is a key added value of
European research actions, and measures will be taken to increase the use
of results by industry, policy makers and society. Dissemination will be
considered an integral task under all thematic areas” (FP7)
 Critical Mass - Impact
 Contribute to the reinforcement of the ERA
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Development of ERA
“Ljubljana Process”
 “Europe now needs to develop a common vision and effective
governance of the European Research Area”
 Grand societal challenges: “Citizens benefiting from the
contribution of large-scale R&D efforts to solve major societal
challenges”
ERA Process and SSH Programme
 Leverage effect for more structured actions in the field of SSH
(ERA-NETs, large-scale projects ...)
 Effective dissemination of results (more integrated actions: Ex
ante: capitalisation, Ex post : dissemination)
 Joint Programming : involves MS engaging voluntarily and on
a variable geometry basis in the definition, development and
implementation of common strategic research agendas based
on a common vision on how to address major societal
challenges.
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International
Dimension
The need for a strategy:

International participation low in FP6 (only 4% of all partners
are from outside the EU) but more promising under FP7 (first
call).

Need to define which sort of cooperation we want, with what
region and in order to do what.

2 ways to approach international cooperation:
1) Structural cooperation
2) improving knowledge on global issues with an impact
on these world regions (sustainable development,
migration, geopolitics)
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Lessons learnt from FP6
what can we learn about
the working and impacts of
large scale research
projects and networks ?
Strengths
Weaknesses
(here to hear from you !)
(here to hear from you !)
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Principles for
roadmapping
• Coherence: research related to the fundamental objectives and
priorities of the specific programme; coherent ensemble of research
dimensions to allow breakthroughs in addressing socio-economic
challenges.
• Anticipation: policy developments on the EU policy agenda to be
anticipated if the specific programme aims to be useful in time.
• Thematic additionality: taking into consideration coverage of
similar topics in previous WP and other thematic Programmes (as
well as coverage by FP6 projects).
• Matching means and ends: achieving ERA dimensions with the
suitable instruments
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Basic structure
 Respect of Specific Programme structure
 Identification and characterisation of the main
“Societal challenges” over the period
 Conception of “Building Blocks” addressing
each of these challenges
 Implementation of Funding schemes able to
create and make these Building Blocks
workable, capitalising on previous research
and disseminating research results
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The SSH roadmap 2010-2013 will identify
Societal Challenges
corresponding to the content
of the SSH-Specific programme
Each of these challenges
will be addressed by
one Building Block of
Research
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Building Blocks
 Address a societal challenge
 Take stock of current FP research on this
challenge
 Identify a cluster of multi-annual research actions
addressing the different dimensions of this
challenge, including a foresight dimension,
international cooperation, infrastructures, common
methodologies and concepts
 Contribute to EU policy, ERA and an international
dimension in SSH
 Valorise/disseminate research results
 Involve a minimum number of partners from
different EU or associated countries and, where
relevant, third countries
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Funding Schemes

Each Building block may be translated into one
single contract with the consortium

Different funding options:
• Large scale collaborative project
• Network of excellence
• ERA-NET and ERANET+

The duration and the minimum number of
partners will be specified
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Thank you for your attention and
look forward to a stimulating debate based
on your experience and analysis
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