ERIC Forum Implementation project

Project Information

ERIC Forum

Grant agreement ID: 823798

DOI

10.3030/823798

Project closed

EC signature date 17 January 2019

Start date 1 January 2019

End date 31 December 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Research Infrastructures

Total cost

€ 1 495 281,25

EU contribution

€ 1 495 281,25

Coordinated by

BIOBANKS AND BIOMOLECULAR RESOURCES RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE CONSORTIUM (BBMRI-ERIC)
Austria

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ERIC Forum (ERIC Forum Implementation project)

Reporting period: 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The ERIC Forum Implementation Project is a Horizon 2020 project that brings together 22 ERICs and 1 ERIC in preparation to strengthen their coordination and enhance their collaborations. The main objective of the project is to create and support a framework for ERICs to share knowledge, support research infrastructures (RIs) and ERICs in preparation interested to explore the ERIC legal framework with various aspects related to being an ERIC, and to help the existing ERICs to have a common voice and vision on joint problems.
The strategic approach of the ERIC Forum contributes to address critical challenges, develop best practices, and frame the necessary knowledge to support ERICs in preparation with various aspects. Moreover, this is contributing to building the identity and visibility of ERICs as a key stakeholder in the EU arena and globally.
The major objectives of the project are to:
-Strengthen coordination and networking among ERICs, by reinforcing the informal ERIC network and supporting the development of the ERIC Forum.
-Provide guidance to ERICs on shared challenges, such as the development of internal procurement rules, harmonised reporting, VAT exemption practices, insurances and pensions policies and training of governance bodies representatives.
-Support ERICs in preparation, based on best practices.
-Support common communication activities and strengthen external representation of ERICs.
The project finished on 31 December 2022 and submitted all deliverables and achieved all the milestones. More detailled information can be found on the website of ERIC Forum (https://www.eric-forum.eu/).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The third, and the last, reporting period covers the timeframe from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022. In this reporting period, the work has been finalised and the project delivered the remaining 10 deliverables and 3 milestones. The proejct delivered, for example, a major policy report on socio-economic impact, a toolbox, which will serve as a source of knowledge for the ERICs and the wider public post-project, and was represented at all major European conferences related to research infrastructures and policy. Importantly, in this period, two meetings of the community were organised: one in January 2022 to still cover the second reporting period, and the other event, the final event of the project, was organised in October in Brussels. Both events brought the community together as well as enabled in depth discussions with the policy-makers and key stakeholders. As in previous period, the ERIC Forum Executive Board was fully supported, also with an organisation of election for a new Chair and Vice Chair of the Forum. Both of them began their mandates in January 2023.
At the end of the project, ERIC Forum community is well connected, there is a trust amongst the partners, and the community has also submitted a new project enabling future cooperation.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

With the organization of the Annual Meeting in January 2022 and the Final Meeting in October 2022, which was a face-to-face meeting, WP1 reached the audience of over 150 and 100 participants respectively. In addition, by supporting the ERIC Forum Executive Board and its Chair, WP contributed to the impact that ERIC Forum has with participation in other key meetings with the EC. The key aspect is the on-going exchange of priorities on both sides and the common understanding on the future needs of ERIC Forum, which were reflected in the EU call dedicated to ERICs to further the joint work in the areas of joint interest and EU ERA development. With its on-going project management work, WP 1 ensured the overall project was progressing as planned and thus impacted the timely and quality delivery of know-how to the overall ERIC Forum Community.
The impact of the WP2 has been in the area of improved governance of the ERIC Forum. WP2 contributed to improving transparency and efficiency of the Forum governance, which in turn leads to the increased acceptance of the Forum as representing the ERIC community with other stakeholders. The governance rules were also applied in practice, including the election of the new Forum Chair in 2022.
The impact of WP3 has been in the area of human resources development. WP3 further reinforced the knowledge of ERICs and future ERIC’s staff by fostering a learning culture within the Forum, and making multiple resources and opportunities for exchange available. It also equipped future ERICs with essential knowledge that will ultimately smoothen their entry into operations or adjust to new organizational challenges (e.g. gender equality). In addition, WP3 strengthened the community ties among and between ERICs and future ERICs by offering regular educational seminars on topics of interest, which has continued to accelerate the multiplication of knowledge and expertise available within the Forum.
With the effort according to subject and objectives of WP4, there is a great impact in several directions. Apart from meeting the WP objectives, it also had the impact of initiating a discussion on how different the ERICs in the ERIC Forum are and how the highest possible common denominator may look like. This has also influenced the considerations for ESFRI to which there has been a good dialogue and coordination.
Apart from the external impact, it became very apparent that the flow of tasks and considerations in WP4 could positively impact the project internally, especially WP6 where the considerations for policies benefitted from the alignment. This has been done successfully and there has been a close collaboration and coordination between the two WPs.
The impact of the communication activities is directly reflected in the progress towards achieving the project’s communication goals, focused on increasing the visibility of the Forum as an essential stakeholder in the European Research panorama and of individual ERICs by showcasing their scientific achievements and contributions to tackling grand challenges.
Effective dissemination of the project’s outcome (deliverables, reports, events’ presentations and recordings) allowed RIs to learn more about the ERIC landscape and regulation, the common challenges and best practices from the most experienced ERICs. Moreover, the ERIC Forum toolkit publication provides ERICs in different stages of their lifecycle, Research Infrastructures aspiring to gain ERIC status, funders and stakeholders the wealth of knowledge accumulated during the ERIC Forum in a user-friendly online platform. The available information includes various aspects, such as finance, administration, human resources, communication, impact, and evaluation. It also has multiple documents and templates that can be used as inspiration or examples of best practices.
WP 6 developed 6 reports, which findings were shared and discussed systematically with national and European stakeholders during the ERIC Seminars with the objective to create synergies towards:
- strengthening the ERIC system by promoting higher visibility of ERICs, showcasing their diversity,
- facilitating their eligibility for competitive national and cross-border funding and,
- advocating for a better alignment of strategic priorities across stakeholders throughout the RI lifecycle with EC support through capacity building for monitoring and reporting and dedicated fora to strengthen the dialogue between ERICs and policy-makers.

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