The Circle U. European University Alliance brings together nine comprehensive, research-intensive, interdisciplinary and international universities with the aim to create a European university ecosystem that trains engaged citizens, promotes equality and excellence in teaching and research, and is open to society.
Co-funded under the Horizon 2020 Science with and for Society (Swafs) Action and launched on September 1, 2021 under the coordination of Université Paris Cité, the Circle U. ERIA (Empowering Research and Innovation Actions) project was designed to contribute to selected ERA Actions, specifically:
• Action 4: Promote attractive and sustainable research careers, balanced talent circulation and international, transdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility across the ERA;
• Action 5: Promote gender equality and foster inclusiveness, taking note of the Ljubljana Declaration;
• Action 13: Empowering HEI to develop selected ERA in synergy with the European Education Area;
• Action 14: Bring science closer to citizens;
• Action 15: Build up research and innovation ecosystems to improve excellence and competitiveness.
During a project period of thirty-eight months, the Circle U. ERIA project steered initiatives with the ambition to strengthen and deepen research collaboration and innovation within and through the Circle U. Alliance.
In order to provide structure to the project, we defined the following seven key objectives, focusing on interdisciplinary research, science and society, Early-Career Researchers (ECR), and the European Research Area (ERA):
• Objective 1: Fostering inter- and transdisciplinarity in research and innovation activities
• Objective 2: Fostering the co-construction of solutions with external stakeholders outside academia
• Objective 3: Making research more accessible to citizens and practitioners in order to engage them with science
• Objective 4: Empowering early-career researchers in their career path within and outside of academia
• Objective 5: Increasing the international exposure of early-career researchers
• Objective 6: Promoting the three EU objectives for gender equality in research in Circle U.
• Objective 7: Structuring Collaboration at the European level, among pilot alliances
