The main expected impact of this proposal is the better understanding of corporate R&D efforts in relation to the green deal and sustainability objectives, starting from the top R&D investors in the global competiveness perspective. The Scoreboard will be developed towards a more meaningful tool regarding the directionality of corporate R&I and incorporate relevant indicators systematically, triggering change of its use and change in industry. Links to the EU taxonomy on sustainable finance will be built by deepening and developing the Scoreboards and Surveys as complementary tools. The main objective is thus to monitor competitive sustainability of private R&I activities, bringing direct contributions to the core policy agenda of DG-R&I.
The analyses will address policy relevant questions set in agreement with DG-R&I, taking into account other main stakeholders in DG-R&I and other Commission services. The project ensures a clear positioning for analysing industrial R&D towards the new policy agenda with unique potential compared to other actors in the field:
+ as a JRC science-to-policy project, it is neutral to different stakeholder interests. With its scientific track record, regular involvement of the scientific community and state-of-the-art analytical and data capacity, it has a strong base for authoritative analyses and strong potential to generate new insight.
+ from its position within the Commission, the project can contribute to relevant questions at other Commission DGs beyond the JRC and R&I, esp. ECFIN, GROW, REGIO, ENER, CLIMA, ENV and MOVE
+ the project plan provides flexibility to address upcoming issues and new developments, which is highly relevant in the quickly changing policy landscape
+ the results are provided to the public in a quick, transparent and open fashion, triggering further analyses within the policy-related scientific community
+ the project workshops provide a forum for both R&I and the JRC to trigger policy discussions and break silos bringing the relevant actors and stakeholders to the table
+ the publication of the Scoreboard data has resulted in some benchmarking among companies and encouraged R&D disclosure in many EU firms (e.g. Amadeus, Banco Santander, Acciona) and beyond (recently in a dialogue with amazon.com).
An important aspect to be considered is that the project can flexibly adapt to disruptive events. The current coronavirus pandemic and Brexit do pose a huge policy challenge especially for R&D and innovation in the EU during the project duration. The project will respond to this with data and assessment, bearing in mind the new policy agenda. In this respect, these events further emphasise the need for targeted R&I policies triggering industrial transformation as well as resilience to crisis situations. Thus, the GLORIA 2020-21 project will bring direct contributions to the core policy agenda of DG-R&I.
Regarding barriers and obstacles, there are limitations on data availability, e.g. environmental patent data not covering all necessary aspects to monitor all private R&I regarding the new policy agenda, and political sensitivity, e.g. environmental dossiers in other Commission services and outside stakeholders. These data limitations and sensitivities will be tackled by collaborating with relevant stakeholders, harnessing data and methodological synergies, co-creation between DG-R&I and the JRC and the modular nature of this project.
