Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EDUC-SHARE (EUROPEAN DIGITAL UNIVERCITY - RESEARCH AND INNOVATION WITH AND FOR SOCIETY)
Período documentado: 2022-08-01 hasta 2024-02-29
Europe faces major social, environmental and economic challenges that require innovative solutions. Universities, through education, research and innovation, help to create solutions to these challenges. The EU-funded project EDUC-SHARE aims to transform the Alliance of the European Digital UniverCity (EDUC) into a fully integrated university that fulfils all these missions, giving full importance to the participation of European citizens in identifying and solving current and future challenges in an open science approach, while promoting EU values and fundamental rights.
The EDUC-SHARE project had the ambition to deepen the ongoing transformation and institutional change of both the EDUC university members and the Alliance as a whole, based on their own identified needs, with an Open Science oriented evolution of practices. As part of its implementation, EDUC-SHARE has identified barriers at institutional, local, national or European level, which will be reported to the relevant authorities in order to reduce them and achieve full integration of its proposed actions at Alliance or inter-Alliance level. The EDUC Alliance will then serve as a model for the implemented European Research Area (ERA) and European Higher Education Area (EHEA) by creating a favourable, inclusive environment that connects the research and innovation ecosystems of its university members to accelerate technology transfer and take into account citizens' concerns in policy making.
The work in the EDUC-SHARE project was organised along three specific objectives:
• Objective 1: To jointly develop pilot tools and methodologies to enhance multidisciplinary collaborative research, speed up technology transfer and promote sustainable career development in an Open-Science-oriented approach.
• Objective 2: To share a long-term roadmap for addressing identified key global challenges that the EDUC alliance members will jointly tackle with a multidisciplinary approach.
• Objective 3: To share a career development agenda in line with the HRS4R (Human Resources Strategy for Researchers) to offer an open, inclusive, favourable work environment within the Alliance with common policies in Ethics, Equality and Parity.
The EDUC-SHARE project had the ambition to deepen the ongoing transformation and institutional change of both the EDUC university members and the Alliance as a whole, based on their own identified needs, with an Open Science oriented evolution of practices. As part of its implementation, EDUC-SHARE has identified barriers at institutional, local, national or European level, which will be reported to the relevant authorities in order to reduce them and achieve full integration of its proposed actions at Alliance or inter-Alliance level. The EDUC Alliance will then serve as a model for the implemented European Research Area (ERA) and European Higher Education Area (EHEA) by creating a favourable, inclusive environment that connects the research and innovation ecosystems of its university members to accelerate technology transfer and take into account citizens' concerns in policy making.
The work in the EDUC-SHARE project was organised along three specific objectives:
• Objective 1: To jointly develop pilot tools and methodologies to enhance multidisciplinary collaborative research, speed up technology transfer and promote sustainable career development in an Open-Science-oriented approach.
• Objective 2: To share a long-term roadmap for addressing identified key global challenges that the EDUC alliance members will jointly tackle with a multidisciplinary approach.
• Objective 3: To share a career development agenda in line with the HRS4R (Human Resources Strategy for Researchers) to offer an open, inclusive, favourable work environment within the Alliance with common policies in Ethics, Equality and Parity.
The project had 8 work packages (WPs) and each of them was coordinated by one partner university. An overview of the results and their exploitation and dissemination is presented hereunder.
• WP1 Long-term Research and Innovation agenda for tackling key global challenges
WP1 developed (1) a common research and innovation agenda, (2) a networking platform for EDUC research teams and (3) reinforced research technical assistance services within the EDUC Alliance.
(1) The objective to design the long-term research agenda was achieved. The document was drafted following a mixed top-down and bottom-up approach and comprises the contributions of researchers at different career stage, Vice Presidents/Vice Rectors for Research, and local ecosystems. Meetings and events on specific research topics were organized according to researchers’ priorities to identify new collaboration opportunities and strengthen existing ones.
(2) The networking platform selected and developed was OpenUp.
(3) A mapping of research technical assistance services was carried out to share good practices resulting in the production of an ‘Action Plan to Improve Technical Assistance Services at EDUC universities’.
• WP2 Research infrastructure
WP2 reinforced the development and implementation of the EDUC research agenda by (a) stocktaking available research infrastructures which have a major role to play in carrying out high-level research, as well as being centres of excellence for research training and by (b) facilitating their mutual opening. Thanks to that, the Alliance created (c) tools and conditions to maximize the openness of science in EDUC.
• WP3 Citizen engagement
WP3 experienced effective ways to engage citizens in science and thereby raise public awareness of the role of science and research to guide the orientation and management of public policies. The work carried out resulted in valuable learnings for future citizen engagement actions.
• WP4 Knowledge and technology transfer
WP4 experimented with strengthening the relations between universities’ community and the socio-economic stakeholders within the regions of the EDUC-SHARE members. This was successfully carried out though the implementation of the related tasks:
(a) WP4 mapped the technology transfer/innovation (TT/I) ecosystem of the Alliance, created an IT framework that enabled interaction among the stakeholders of the TT/I ecosystems which resulted in transparency and the possibility of interaction among internal and external stakeholders.
(b) WP4 deployed two pilots, one in Cybersecurity and the other one in Culture and Heritage.
(c) It developed resources to increase researchers’ Entrepreneurial spirit and competences.
• WP5 HRS4R process
The project engaged all Alliance members in a shared human resource strategy for improving the working environment of researchers, including sustainable career development aspects.
- UNICA, UPECS and UPN have approved their Gap Analysis. UNICA received the HR Excellence in Research award in March 2024.
- Common principles on Ethics, Equality and Parity and improving young researchers’ environments were defined.
• WP6 Soft skill training offer
WP6 aimed at reinforcing the notion of ‘learning community’ among the Alliance by setting up a programme to raise awareness and develop soft skills. A survey, an inventory of existing staff training and a training programme were designed.
WP7 Project management
WP7 aimed at managing effectively and intelligently the project while taking into account the specific nature of project management in the frame of an international university alliance. WP7 ensured that EDUC-SHARE achieved its objectives in line with the EDUC (Erasmus +) management structure while fulfilling its commitments.
WP8 Dissemination and communication
The target objectives of the work package encompassed organizing activities to enhance the impact and visibility of EDUC-SHARE outcomes while fostering awareness and attracting partnerships within and beyond academia. To meet these objectives, WP8:
• Developed and implemented a Plan for Exploitation and Dissemination of Results.
• Created Internships for student journalists in genuinely scientific environment.
• Supported internal awareness at the EDUC universities.
• Led external communication of the EDUC research coordination activities.
• Best practices were shared at events and participation to policy making activities.
• WP1 Long-term Research and Innovation agenda for tackling key global challenges
WP1 developed (1) a common research and innovation agenda, (2) a networking platform for EDUC research teams and (3) reinforced research technical assistance services within the EDUC Alliance.
(1) The objective to design the long-term research agenda was achieved. The document was drafted following a mixed top-down and bottom-up approach and comprises the contributions of researchers at different career stage, Vice Presidents/Vice Rectors for Research, and local ecosystems. Meetings and events on specific research topics were organized according to researchers’ priorities to identify new collaboration opportunities and strengthen existing ones.
(2) The networking platform selected and developed was OpenUp.
(3) A mapping of research technical assistance services was carried out to share good practices resulting in the production of an ‘Action Plan to Improve Technical Assistance Services at EDUC universities’.
• WP2 Research infrastructure
WP2 reinforced the development and implementation of the EDUC research agenda by (a) stocktaking available research infrastructures which have a major role to play in carrying out high-level research, as well as being centres of excellence for research training and by (b) facilitating their mutual opening. Thanks to that, the Alliance created (c) tools and conditions to maximize the openness of science in EDUC.
• WP3 Citizen engagement
WP3 experienced effective ways to engage citizens in science and thereby raise public awareness of the role of science and research to guide the orientation and management of public policies. The work carried out resulted in valuable learnings for future citizen engagement actions.
• WP4 Knowledge and technology transfer
WP4 experimented with strengthening the relations between universities’ community and the socio-economic stakeholders within the regions of the EDUC-SHARE members. This was successfully carried out though the implementation of the related tasks:
(a) WP4 mapped the technology transfer/innovation (TT/I) ecosystem of the Alliance, created an IT framework that enabled interaction among the stakeholders of the TT/I ecosystems which resulted in transparency and the possibility of interaction among internal and external stakeholders.
(b) WP4 deployed two pilots, one in Cybersecurity and the other one in Culture and Heritage.
(c) It developed resources to increase researchers’ Entrepreneurial spirit and competences.
• WP5 HRS4R process
The project engaged all Alliance members in a shared human resource strategy for improving the working environment of researchers, including sustainable career development aspects.
- UNICA, UPECS and UPN have approved their Gap Analysis. UNICA received the HR Excellence in Research award in March 2024.
- Common principles on Ethics, Equality and Parity and improving young researchers’ environments were defined.
• WP6 Soft skill training offer
WP6 aimed at reinforcing the notion of ‘learning community’ among the Alliance by setting up a programme to raise awareness and develop soft skills. A survey, an inventory of existing staff training and a training programme were designed.
WP7 Project management
WP7 aimed at managing effectively and intelligently the project while taking into account the specific nature of project management in the frame of an international university alliance. WP7 ensured that EDUC-SHARE achieved its objectives in line with the EDUC (Erasmus +) management structure while fulfilling its commitments.
WP8 Dissemination and communication
The target objectives of the work package encompassed organizing activities to enhance the impact and visibility of EDUC-SHARE outcomes while fostering awareness and attracting partnerships within and beyond academia. To meet these objectives, WP8:
• Developed and implemented a Plan for Exploitation and Dissemination of Results.
• Created Internships for student journalists in genuinely scientific environment.
• Supported internal awareness at the EDUC universities.
• Led external communication of the EDUC research coordination activities.
• Best practices were shared at events and participation to policy making activities.
The project successfully contributed to:
Reinforce research collaboration, accelerate technology and knowledge transfer, increase citizen engagement, expand public outreach and promote gender equality and ethics within the Alliance.
Support the institutional transformation of the universities and encourage future synergies between Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ Programme.
Increase internationalisation of university activities in the field of research and innovation within and beyond Europe while raising the international profile of the Alliance.
Reinforce research collaboration, accelerate technology and knowledge transfer, increase citizen engagement, expand public outreach and promote gender equality and ethics within the Alliance.
Support the institutional transformation of the universities and encourage future synergies between Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ Programme.
Increase internationalisation of university activities in the field of research and innovation within and beyond Europe while raising the international profile of the Alliance.