Periodic Reporting for period 1 - T4ERI (Transform 4 European Research and Innovation)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2021-10-01 al 2023-03-31
Transform4Europe (T4E) is a university alliance of proven excellence in strategic collaboration. It has been awarded European funding to pursue joint strategies in education and mobility, focussing on collaboration between the universities and a wealth of non-university stakeholders from the surrounding regions in a multi-actor knowledge and innovation ecosystem. For the T4E universities, the logical next step is to capitalise on this ecosystem to transform their achievements in research and innovation. Together, the diverse actors in the T4EU ecosystem can serve as powerful engines for the mutual development of innovation and performance capacities, jointly fostering both research of excellence and impact, and smarter, sustainable, competitive regions.
Transform4European Research and Innovation (T4ERI) devises new strategies to harness this untapped potential, with the focus mission digital and environmental transformation for smart, sustainable and inclusive regions. T4ERI has three main objectives: (1) to develop a joint agenda for research and innovation in the T4E focus area of digital and environmental transformation for smart, sustainable and inclusive regions, (2) to develop a joint strategy for attracting and retaining outstanding researchers and strengthening human capital in research and innovation, including promotion of young talents and leadership in science and (3) to develop a joint strategy for Public Engagement, Science Communication and Open Science ensuring involvement and engagement of citizens, civil society and public/private authorities in research and innovation. True to the essence of the alliance, T4ERI systematically collaborates with regional stakeholders from business and industry, culture, politics and civil society at every step of the process.
Transform4European Research and Innovation (T4ERI) devises new strategies to harness this untapped potential, with the focus mission digital and environmental transformation for smart, sustainable and inclusive regions. T4ERI has three main objectives: (1) to develop a joint agenda for research and innovation in the T4E focus area of digital and environmental transformation for smart, sustainable and inclusive regions, (2) to develop a joint strategy for attracting and retaining outstanding researchers and strengthening human capital in research and innovation, including promotion of young talents and leadership in science and (3) to develop a joint strategy for Public Engagement, Science Communication and Open Science ensuring involvement and engagement of citizens, civil society and public/private authorities in research and innovation. True to the essence of the alliance, T4ERI systematically collaborates with regional stakeholders from business and industry, culture, politics and civil society at every step of the process.
During the reporting period, the organisational framework and all necessary support mechanisms to enable a smooth project workflow in T4ERI were provided by WP1, enabling the Management Board to take up its work immediately after the project start. The T4ERI Steering Committee and expert groups in WPs 2, 3 and 4 were set up as additional governance bodies; the Executive Board, Student Council and Strategic Assembly of Transform4Europe had already been established in the framework of the Erasmus+ project T4EU. All bodies have met regularly (online and in person). Stakeholders have been involved via two Stakeholder Assembly meetings and policy roundtables at all partner universities. A Quality Assurance Plan and a Data Management Plan have been established to ensure high quality output, timely meeting all contractual commitments and proper project documentation.
In WP2, UA created the online research collaboration opportunity map and partnering tool which provided an in-depth overview on the key research areas and research infrastructures to evaluate the potential for increased research collaboration within the T4E alliance and the existing bilateral research collaboration schemes and activities including existing (international) collaborative research formats at the beneficiary institutions, their expertise and needs in the regions. The analysis of the results has been used for the preparation of the opportunity map and partnering tool, for the draft of the Joint agenda for research and innovation, elaborating the opportunity map and inventory of Key research infrastructure within the alliance, and for the development of the partnering tool. The concept phase of the T4ERI partnering tool has been completed and is ready to start the pilot phase.
In WP3, strategic analyses have been carried out among all academic staff at all partner universities, which allowed to dress a Map of Inhibitors, and a qualitative study to develop joint innovative standards for scientific careers at all experience levels, which will increase the attractiveness of the T4E partner universities to excellent researchers. Analyses of the framework conditions for the mobility of career paths as well as of the diversification and permeability of career paths between the academic and non-academic sectors have been carried out. These will help to develop the joint T4E strategy for promoting talent and contribute to recruiting and retaining the brightest early-career researchers. Important steps towards the promotion of academic leadership in science were undertaken and identified: challenges faced by the leaders of research teams in the area of science and science management and a map of the leaders’ key competencies in academia. These will contribute to the creation of a T4E Leadership Academy. The completion of a SWOT analysis of R&I staff development and an analysis of the best HR staff development practices and indicators have established the basis for preparing a Joint Strategy for the Development of Research Support Staff, which will help to boost research quality at the T4E universities.
The work carried out in WP4 shows two major results, Map of opportunities for “Science4All” in the T4E regions and the draft version of T4E Joint Strategy “Science4All”. They constitute a considerable step towards achieving the objectives to develop a joint strategy and common standards for T4ERI to be at the forefront of Open Science, and to create and harness a T4E network for public engagement in research and innovation. The D4.1 Map of opportunities for “Science4All” in the T4E regions is part of the initial phase of strategy development and forms the background for its further development. A draft of the three parts T4E joint strategy “Public Engagement in Research and Innovation”, T4E joint strategy “Science Communication”, T4E joint strategy “Open Science was developed.
In WP5, existing communication activities of T4E at both internal and external levels were extended to include the R&I dimension of the alliance in order to create internal and external visibility for T4ERI: The Joint Virtual Communication Office (same as T4E, T4ERI represented by EKA and USAAR), project website (dedicated section on T4E website as deliverable D5.1) internet platform (dedicated section on T4E platform), Communication Activity Plan (CAP) (EKA up-dated the T4E CAP for T4ERI as D5.2) information campaigns, participation at fairs and exhibitions, etc. Additional promotional materials (e.g. dedicated flyers) will be developed for T4ERI, using the corporate design of T4E (D5.3).
The 1st T4E Talk Our R&I Alliance was organised by USAAR in M12 as an online event dealing with the topic of Open Science and its positive impact on research careers. Additional events took place at each university to raise awareness of T4ERI, such as the presentation of the project and its results and T4E weeks.To share best practices between the European Universities and other academic communities, T4ERI is represented by USAAR in the FOREU2 SwafS Group.
In WP2, UA created the online research collaboration opportunity map and partnering tool which provided an in-depth overview on the key research areas and research infrastructures to evaluate the potential for increased research collaboration within the T4E alliance and the existing bilateral research collaboration schemes and activities including existing (international) collaborative research formats at the beneficiary institutions, their expertise and needs in the regions. The analysis of the results has been used for the preparation of the opportunity map and partnering tool, for the draft of the Joint agenda for research and innovation, elaborating the opportunity map and inventory of Key research infrastructure within the alliance, and for the development of the partnering tool. The concept phase of the T4ERI partnering tool has been completed and is ready to start the pilot phase.
In WP3, strategic analyses have been carried out among all academic staff at all partner universities, which allowed to dress a Map of Inhibitors, and a qualitative study to develop joint innovative standards for scientific careers at all experience levels, which will increase the attractiveness of the T4E partner universities to excellent researchers. Analyses of the framework conditions for the mobility of career paths as well as of the diversification and permeability of career paths between the academic and non-academic sectors have been carried out. These will help to develop the joint T4E strategy for promoting talent and contribute to recruiting and retaining the brightest early-career researchers. Important steps towards the promotion of academic leadership in science were undertaken and identified: challenges faced by the leaders of research teams in the area of science and science management and a map of the leaders’ key competencies in academia. These will contribute to the creation of a T4E Leadership Academy. The completion of a SWOT analysis of R&I staff development and an analysis of the best HR staff development practices and indicators have established the basis for preparing a Joint Strategy for the Development of Research Support Staff, which will help to boost research quality at the T4E universities.
The work carried out in WP4 shows two major results, Map of opportunities for “Science4All” in the T4E regions and the draft version of T4E Joint Strategy “Science4All”. They constitute a considerable step towards achieving the objectives to develop a joint strategy and common standards for T4ERI to be at the forefront of Open Science, and to create and harness a T4E network for public engagement in research and innovation. The D4.1 Map of opportunities for “Science4All” in the T4E regions is part of the initial phase of strategy development and forms the background for its further development. A draft of the three parts T4E joint strategy “Public Engagement in Research and Innovation”, T4E joint strategy “Science Communication”, T4E joint strategy “Open Science was developed.
In WP5, existing communication activities of T4E at both internal and external levels were extended to include the R&I dimension of the alliance in order to create internal and external visibility for T4ERI: The Joint Virtual Communication Office (same as T4E, T4ERI represented by EKA and USAAR), project website (dedicated section on T4E website as deliverable D5.1) internet platform (dedicated section on T4E platform), Communication Activity Plan (CAP) (EKA up-dated the T4E CAP for T4ERI as D5.2) information campaigns, participation at fairs and exhibitions, etc. Additional promotional materials (e.g. dedicated flyers) will be developed for T4ERI, using the corporate design of T4E (D5.3).
The 1st T4E Talk Our R&I Alliance was organised by USAAR in M12 as an online event dealing with the topic of Open Science and its positive impact on research careers. Additional events took place at each university to raise awareness of T4ERI, such as the presentation of the project and its results and T4E weeks.To share best practices between the European Universities and other academic communities, T4ERI is represented by USAAR in the FOREU2 SwafS Group.
By 2024, T4ERI will have significantly increased collaboration in research and innovation across all disciplines, will have enabled joint access to key research infrastructure across the alliance, and will have targeted joint action plans to launch one or more major joint research centres relating to its focus mission, to attract and retain excellent junior and established researchers, and to foster engagement and involvement of civil society in research and innovation, further paving the way towards the European University of the future.