ERANET Learning Platform

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ERA-NET Learning Platform NetWatch
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Background

• Manchester conference 2005
• ERA-NET Workshops 2006
• Report of the Expert Review Group
• Survey on ERA-NETs and their joint calls
• Direct feedback from project participants
• Member states carrying out ERA-NET assessments
  at national level
• FP6 ERA-NET Impact Assessment Study
• New generation of ERA-NETs

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Recommendations of the Expert Review Group

• High Level recommendations, e.g.
• Greater efforts of Member states to brake down
  the remaining institutional barriers
• Clear strategies for their involvement based on
  needs and priorities
• Commission level recommendations, e.g.
• Common web-site on all ERA-NET activities
• Collecting and synthesising the experiences and
  lessons learnt
• Recommendations for programme Owners and
  Managers, e.g.
• Contribute to the evolution of new guidelines for
  the implementation of ERA-NETs by sharing
  information on best practices

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Funding from joint calls and programmes
Planned 202 million (preliminary budgets of
19 of 36 planned calls 4 programmes)
Launched 97 million (preliminary budgets of
14 of 17 launched calls)
Already implemented 281 million (budget
estimates of 23 of 24 done calls 1 ongoing
programme)
By December 2006 more than 500 million
national research funding coordinated through
ERA-NETs, mostly via joint calls. Estomate today
more than 800 million
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Participation statistics

• 71 ERA-NETs, gt1.000 participations, 449 different
  participants
• Frequency of participation
• 3 organisations gt 20x
• 4 organisations gt 15x
• 10 organisations gt 10x
• 27 organisations gt 5x
• 98 organisations gt 1x
• 307 organisations with a single participation

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Situation today

• Increasing number of calls with significant
  budgets made available for transnational research
• Planned, launched and implemented by each
  ERA-NET individually
• Each ERA-NET runs through an important learning
  curve while doing this
• BUT Difficult for users and ERA-NET partners
• ? Every time different submission rules,
  evaluation criteria, forms, call deadlines, etc.

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Situation tomorrow?

• What do participants/clients/users want?
• Common guidelines, rules, procedures?
• Common call closure dates and proposal submission
  systems?
• Common expert pools?
• Joint calls between ERA-NETs?
• Etc.
• ? Provide a common organisational framework for
  jointly implemented transnational research
  activities

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ERA-NET LEARNING PLATFORM

• Urgency
• Monitor, guide and assist aligning / harmonising
  structures and procedures for simplified and
  efficient joint call activities towards a common
  organisational framework.
• Long-term
• Monitor how the ERA-NET scheme is evolving.
• Create a durable interaction between ongoing
  ERA-NET projects on other joint activities and
  facilitate mutual learning pooling of
  resources.
• Important
• Joint ownership of ERA-NET participants, Member
  States and European Commission
• Flexible and voluntary in its application, no
  one size fits all

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NetWatch A single web based IC platform for all
ERA-NETs (FP6 FP7)
Intelligent analysis of ERA (ERA-NETs) Based on
ERA-WATCH Example Cutting an orange under
different angles

• Online ERA-NET
• view and analysis of
• nat. programmes
• Country cooperation
• topics/sectors view
• Joint calls
• various combinations

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NETWATCH objectives

• Improve the visibility of the ERA-NET scheme and
  its constituent national programmes and joint
  actions
• Facilitate mutual learning amongst ERA-NETs
• Support RD policy makers and administrations by
  providing them with information relevant to the
  strategic use of ERA-NETs, including necessary
  data for the assessment of their efficiency and
  impact
• Enhance trans-national cooperation between
  national research programmes

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Preparatory steps for NETWATCH

• Identifying the information requirements of users
• Visualising how a central information platform on
  ERA-NETs could be presented within ERAWATCH
• Development of a framework capable of describing
  and analysing the role of ERA-NETs within the ERA
• Development of a participatory governance model
  for the implementation of the NETWATCH platform
• ? NETWATCH as the front end of the Learning
  Platform, primary promotion vehicle for
  ERA-NETs

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Objectives for the launching event March 2008

• Kick-start the ERA-NET Learning Platform and the
  NETWATCH information system
• Define jointly the framework and governance
  structure
• Identify follow-up actions
• Ensure that the initiatives correspond to
  policy-level and user expectations

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Workshop topics

• Workshop 1 Towards common procedures from call
  preparation to project monitoring
• Workshop 2 Evaluation and proposal selection
  the key to ensure high quality projects
• Workshop 3 User requirements for a central
  ERA-NET information platform
• Workshop 4 Governance and future topics for the
  ERA-NET Learning Platform

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RecommendationsCommission

• Proceed with the creation of the Learning
  Platform and NETWATCH
• After consultation with ERA-NET participants, and
  in collaboration with them, support the creation
  of the necessary toolboxes and guidelines
• Continue support for the organisation and
  coordination of activities related to the
  exchange of experiences and good practices, as
  well as those related to the development of
  toolboxes and guidelines
• Provide access to, and advice on, how to set up
  databases of experts
• Put forward suggestions concerning a governance
  structure for the ERA-NET Learning Platform for
  discussion by the ERA-NET community

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RecommendationsERA NET participants

• With the support of the Commission, provide
  inputs for the development of the necessary
  toolboxes and guidelines
• Launch a detailed discussion about the
  transferability and compatibility of existing
  (national) guidelines
• Build a common submission system based on ERA-NET
  experiences gained so far

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Beyond the ERA-NET Learning Platform and NETWATCH

• The Commission should
• Support the regular monitoring, evaluation and
  assessment of the whole ERA-NET scheme
• Cover the administrative costs relating to the
  monitoring and follow-up of projects after the
  publication of the joint calls in ERA-NET Plus
• The Member States should
• Develop strategies for participation in ERA-NETs
  and for trans-national cooperation in general
• Consider the development of national guidelines
  for the implementation of trans-national joint
  calls
• Consider appointing a National Contact Point to
  facilitate the central coordination of ERA-NET
  participations

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? http//cordis.europa.eu/fp7/coordination/era_lp_
en.html