An overview of the project objectives and how they are achieved through the whole project are provided below:
i.TO DEVELOP A COMMON RESEARCH & INNOVATION AGENDA AND CONVERGENCE ACTION PLAN AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION, SHARING INFRASTRUCTURES AND RESOURCES, IN SYNERGY WITH EDUCATION STRATEGIES AND REGIONAL ENGAGEMENT
During the first reporting period, SMART-ER reported the R&I Agenda developed within ECIU through a co-creative process, with topics of common interest identified by researchers. To develop a joint and shared R&I agenda on the four key topics, the corresponding Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and the convergent action plan for the pilot phase, the SMART-ER produced D1.2 (Co-created research agenda), D1.5 (Evaluation and monitoring model) and D2.1 (Statutes of the SMART-ER pilot phase) meeting, Milestone (MS) 1 and 2 of the project.
To support the agenda and facilitate international challenge-based research, during the second reporting period SMART-ER built on an innovative governance model lead by interdisciplinary communities of researchers and stakeholders across the ECIU network working together in addressing societal challenges in thematic areas linked to SGD 11 (Circular Economy, Energy and Sustainability, Resilient communities, Transport and Mobility + Citizen Science as a cross-cutting, transdisciplinary area). Each of these 5 communities was led by a so-called Research Field Coordinator who spurred opportunities for networking, sharing best practices, finding partners and developing joint proposals for funding.
ii.TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES FOR STRENGTHENING HUMAN CAPITAL IN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
During the first reporting period the SMART-ER academy and the SMART-ER Seed Programme developed the scope and guidelines for the different types of seed funding.
The Academy included a mapping of training capacities in the consortium and the design of an Online PhD Training Programme and an Open Science and Leadership Training Programme for Researchers, while the SMART-ER Seed Programme developed the scope and guidelines for the different types of funding. Both actions, encompassed within WP3, were reported in D3.1 (Training programmes) and D3.2 (Seed programme guidelines). Both programmes launched actions at M12 (meeting MS3) that will keep running until M34, in the scope of tasks 3.3 and assessed through the implementation of task 3.4.
During the second reporting period, ECIU SMART-ER Academy and Seed program were fully implemented and assessed and reported in D 3.3. Both actions have offered a novel approach to formal and informal training and mobility through capacity programmes, research networks, co-tutelles and seed projects.
iii.TO EMBED CITIZENS AND SOCIETY, INVOLVING AND ENGAGING CITIZENS, CIVIL SOCIETY AND AUTHORITIES IN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
During the first reporting period, efforts were focused to provide a comprehensive overview of public engagement (PE) practices (D4.1) in the context of ECIU-SMART-ER, to articulate a Community of Practice for Public Engagement meeting MS4 (D4.2). Also, meeting MS5 the Virtual Citizen Science Hub (
https://www.csinitiative.eu/(s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)) was established and launched as a collaborative portal for pooling expertise, sharing resources, data and projects and to build a community of Citizen Science while pilot projects 3 intersectoral and multidisciplinary pilots were successfully co-created.
The second reporting period have included the implementation, monitoring and assessment of the 3 pilots. The citizen science expertise resulted in different documents regarding recommendation and lesson learnt form the different experiences (D5.2 Position paper on public engagement).
The ECIU Research Conference 3 was a successful attempt at redesigning conferences to integrate stakeholders and co-create new challenge-based questions for future collaborations.
