Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EELISA innoCORE (EELISA INNOvation and COmmon REsearch strategy)
Reporting period: 2022-12-01 to 2024-05-31
Universities are not just institutions providing education, but they have also as a fundamental mission being a meeting point with society to jointly define the major contemporary problems, cocreating (including students) and valorising knowledge to solve them. This is research and innovation. As such, the European Engineering Learning Innovation and Science Alliance (EELISA) has not only been working on its educational dimension under the Erasmus+ projects, but the Alliance has also been working between 2021 and 2024 on its research and innovation dimensions under EELISA InnoCORE project. InnoCORE was born with the goal of helping EELISA and the EELISA Communities in fully exploiting the extraordinary joint research and innovation capacities of the Alliance, supporting the development of joint R&I actions and the setting-up of new R&I structures.
To achieve this goal, InnoCORE has been working on the following objectives: 1) creating a common R&I policy, 2) connecting our researchers and innovators, 3) enabling joint use and planning of infrastructures, 4) sharing resources, instruments and good practices on innovation and entrepreneurship, 5) sharing knowledge on and reaching a common policy in open science and in other transversal issues as gender equality, 6) optimizing out-reach and involvement of non-academic partners and society, 7) liaising with policy-makers at EU, national and regional level.
To achieve this goal, InnoCORE has been working on the following objectives: 1) creating a common R&I policy, 2) connecting our researchers and innovators, 3) enabling joint use and planning of infrastructures, 4) sharing resources, instruments and good practices on innovation and entrepreneurship, 5) sharing knowledge on and reaching a common policy in open science and in other transversal issues as gender equality, 6) optimizing out-reach and involvement of non-academic partners and society, 7) liaising with policy-makers at EU, national and regional level.
As a first step and using a bottom-up approach, EELISA partners identified a series of key research lines and topics that were grouped in 11 EELISA Strategic Research Areas (SRAs): 1) Artificial intelligence, 2) Health, 3) Digital, 4) Culture, creativity and inclusive society, 5) Climate, energy and mobility, 6) Connectivity, 7) Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment, 8) SSH, 9) Advanced material science and engineering, 10) Smart industry and space technologies, and 11) Natural sciences. The different instruments and resources deployed by InnoCORE used the 11 SRAs as classifying categories, allowing EELISA to track its performance, particularly under which areas the project managed to generate more connections.
InnoCORE dedicated important resources to build the right tools for making our researchers know each other and trigger new collaborations. Two instruments have been particularly important towards this aim: the EELISA Connect Call for workshops and the networking platform for researchers (EINP). EELISA Connect workshops are an initiative put in place with the aim of facilitating connections among researchers using a bottom-up approach. During the workshops, EELISA researchers have the opportunity to meet in person at one of the partner institutions to discuss and develop joint research ideas. The selection of the workshops was done via two open calls and a total of 11 workshops were funded. InnoCORE also launched the Networking Platform, where researchers can upload research ideas and find peers and matches (https://community.eelisa.eu/research-network/(opens in new window)) and the page ‘Opportunities for young researchers’, showcasing offers for young postdocs. Additionally, after a first mapping of infrastructures done during the first half of the project, the catalogue of shared facilities was put online and is available for EELISA researchers on https://infrastructure.eelisa.eu/(opens in new window).
EELISA partners opened many of their most important entrepreneurship and innovation activities to the whole Alliance, broadening opportunities for students as well as academic and non-academic staff. Moreover, InnoCORE put in place several joint activities that gathered a great success: the Entrepreneurship School, two editions of the Prototype Contest and the Next level event, covering the different stages of the entrepreneurship journey, from incubation to more advanced startups. It is worth noting that the winning prototype in the prototype contests is tested by more than 100 potential customers at JOSEPHS lab, reinforcing the participation of citizens in testing research results. On this point, bringing society and science together, we organised the series of public events EELISA Innovation Talks.
InnoCORE worked as well on reinforcing connections among EELISA technology transfer offices and on academia-industry schemes. Particularly important, in September 2023, partners agreed on a protocol for nominating EELISA industrial chairs, with the nomination of the first industrial chair taking place in December 2023 (Prof. Horváth Adrián). And the 2nd EELISA InnoCORE R&I symposium dedicated one of its panels to explore the concept of Industrial PhDs.
It is also worth noting the progress made on open science. All partners used the tools created during the first phase of the project ('OS Methodological Toolkit' and 'Strategic Planning and Implementation Guide') for updating their individual open science action plans. InnoCORE also launched the EELISA Network of Open Science Ambassadors and the OS Training Hub: https://eelisa.eu/open-science/(opens in new window)
For analysing EU matters together and building a joint voice, InnoCORE set up the policy liaisons board, a group of experts in EU affairs. As a matter of example, the PLB produced an EELISA joint paper on Horizon Europe responding to the mid-term review process launched by the EC, where EELISA partners jointly analysed the functioning of the R&I framework programme and put forward recommendations for improvement.
Lastly, InnoCORE worked on gender and diversity in research, with the organistion of a full array of initiatives. Particularly important, EELISA partners updated their Gender Equality Plan with sex-disaggregated data twice during the lifetime of the project (last update in March 2024). The GEP provides a picture of the situation at EELISA regarding gender in R&I with data on doctoral studies, academic and research staff, and R&I outputs.
To support and advice the strategic orientation of these actions, InnoCORE had the support of the Advisory Council on Research and Innovation (“ACRI”), made of Vice-Rectors for Research of each EELISA partner or delegated person.
InnoCORE dedicated important resources to build the right tools for making our researchers know each other and trigger new collaborations. Two instruments have been particularly important towards this aim: the EELISA Connect Call for workshops and the networking platform for researchers (EINP). EELISA Connect workshops are an initiative put in place with the aim of facilitating connections among researchers using a bottom-up approach. During the workshops, EELISA researchers have the opportunity to meet in person at one of the partner institutions to discuss and develop joint research ideas. The selection of the workshops was done via two open calls and a total of 11 workshops were funded. InnoCORE also launched the Networking Platform, where researchers can upload research ideas and find peers and matches (https://community.eelisa.eu/research-network/(opens in new window)) and the page ‘Opportunities for young researchers’, showcasing offers for young postdocs. Additionally, after a first mapping of infrastructures done during the first half of the project, the catalogue of shared facilities was put online and is available for EELISA researchers on https://infrastructure.eelisa.eu/(opens in new window).
EELISA partners opened many of their most important entrepreneurship and innovation activities to the whole Alliance, broadening opportunities for students as well as academic and non-academic staff. Moreover, InnoCORE put in place several joint activities that gathered a great success: the Entrepreneurship School, two editions of the Prototype Contest and the Next level event, covering the different stages of the entrepreneurship journey, from incubation to more advanced startups. It is worth noting that the winning prototype in the prototype contests is tested by more than 100 potential customers at JOSEPHS lab, reinforcing the participation of citizens in testing research results. On this point, bringing society and science together, we organised the series of public events EELISA Innovation Talks.
InnoCORE worked as well on reinforcing connections among EELISA technology transfer offices and on academia-industry schemes. Particularly important, in September 2023, partners agreed on a protocol for nominating EELISA industrial chairs, with the nomination of the first industrial chair taking place in December 2023 (Prof. Horváth Adrián). And the 2nd EELISA InnoCORE R&I symposium dedicated one of its panels to explore the concept of Industrial PhDs.
It is also worth noting the progress made on open science. All partners used the tools created during the first phase of the project ('OS Methodological Toolkit' and 'Strategic Planning and Implementation Guide') for updating their individual open science action plans. InnoCORE also launched the EELISA Network of Open Science Ambassadors and the OS Training Hub: https://eelisa.eu/open-science/(opens in new window)
For analysing EU matters together and building a joint voice, InnoCORE set up the policy liaisons board, a group of experts in EU affairs. As a matter of example, the PLB produced an EELISA joint paper on Horizon Europe responding to the mid-term review process launched by the EC, where EELISA partners jointly analysed the functioning of the R&I framework programme and put forward recommendations for improvement.
Lastly, InnoCORE worked on gender and diversity in research, with the organistion of a full array of initiatives. Particularly important, EELISA partners updated their Gender Equality Plan with sex-disaggregated data twice during the lifetime of the project (last update in March 2024). The GEP provides a picture of the situation at EELISA regarding gender in R&I with data on doctoral studies, academic and research staff, and R&I outputs.
To support and advice the strategic orientation of these actions, InnoCORE had the support of the Advisory Council on Research and Innovation (“ACRI”), made of Vice-Rectors for Research of each EELISA partner or delegated person.
InnoCORE brought important benefits for all the stakeholders and target groups involved as revealed by the cost and benefit analyses performed.
For our researchers and innovators, it meant an increased number of opportunities: networking opportunities; training and competence development opportunities; access to extra funding; access to facilities not available at the host institution. EELISA InnoCORE actions brought very important benefits for the administrative staff and research managers. InnoCORE allowed our administrative staff to be exposed to diverse administrative practices, offering them opportunities to learn, and giving our staff enhanced professional growth and development. As an outcome, it is worth noting the creation of communities of practice (open science, European project management and other). To end, InnoCORE meant also benefits for society, particularly thanks to the promotion of broadly accepted common principles, such as entrepreneurship, FAIR data principles or gender equality.
Since its inception, EELISA 2.0 was built taking into account InnoCORE work. Some of the most successful initiatives in InnoCORE will continue, with the proper adjustments, under EELISA WP9 Network for Researchers and Talent and EELISA WP10 EELISA Innovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystems, guaranteeing the full exploitation of results.
For our researchers and innovators, it meant an increased number of opportunities: networking opportunities; training and competence development opportunities; access to extra funding; access to facilities not available at the host institution. EELISA InnoCORE actions brought very important benefits for the administrative staff and research managers. InnoCORE allowed our administrative staff to be exposed to diverse administrative practices, offering them opportunities to learn, and giving our staff enhanced professional growth and development. As an outcome, it is worth noting the creation of communities of practice (open science, European project management and other). To end, InnoCORE meant also benefits for society, particularly thanks to the promotion of broadly accepted common principles, such as entrepreneurship, FAIR data principles or gender equality.
Since its inception, EELISA 2.0 was built taking into account InnoCORE work. Some of the most successful initiatives in InnoCORE will continue, with the proper adjustments, under EELISA WP9 Network for Researchers and Talent and EELISA WP10 EELISA Innovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystems, guaranteeing the full exploitation of results.