Periodic Reporting for period 1 - A4L_ACTIONS (Alliance for Life Sciences: From Strategies to Actions in Central and Eastern Europe)
Período documentado: 2021-05-01 hasta 2022-10-31
Objectives:
CULTURE: Build a culture that nurtures excellence in science.
1. Embed international scientific evaluation as a strategic management tool in CEE health research institutions.
2. Professionalize research management and administration in CEE health research institutions.
3. Foster Responsible Research & Innovation in CEE.
RECOGNITION: Develop recognition and trust towards CEE researchers and research institutions.
4. Enrich European scientific networks by fostering stronger linkage with and among research institutions in CEE.
5. Enable formation of consortia with a participant core and intellectual origin in CEE.
6. Explore the potential of ESIF-funded Research Infrastructures to forge new scientific collaborations.
CAREERS: Nurture scientific talent to globally competitive careers.
7. Develop integrated career frameworks fostering global competitiveness of CEE researchers.
8. Implement advanced training programmes on scientific, transferrable, and soft skills to support career development of talented researchers in CEE.
9. Foster mobility as the key element in scientific careers.
INNOVATION: Increase the local and regional impact of Health research in CEE.
10. Build competence and connections of CEE health research institutions for translation of health research outcomes into innovation.
11. Foster development of regional biotech and biomedicine innovation ecosystems in CEE.
CULTURE
This new generation of professional RMA will then be ready to drive the change in the day-to-day operation of CEE institutions. On the other hand, we are well aware that research is a mission for the common good, not just a performance competition. For that reason, we guide R&I organizations on how to ensure research integrity – our analysis and report contribute to enabling CEE institutions to adhere to international best practices.
An important impact was achieved within the institutional self-assessment of R&I excellence and research culture by making a complex self-assessment of questions related to institutional practices. This activity provided a basis for assessing the progress of Alliance4Life and for further institutional improvement of the alliance members. The peer-review evaluation piloted by three Alliance4Life´s institutions are fully in line with the current EU reform of research assessment.
RECOGNITION
On Mini-conference, they concentrated and cooperated to tackle major European challenges. New collaborative teams were formed during the Mini-conference and A4L_ACTIONS provided resources to kick-start their joint research actions. The desired impact of the mini-conference is to increase the number of EU-funded research consortia led by coordinators from the CEE region.
The meeting fulfilled its two primary goals. Firstly, it brought together researchers of the A4L_ACTIONS partner institutions and enabled them to get insight into their scientific topics and to stimulate the exchange of ideas and interests for collaboration. Secondly, it facilitated the matchmaking of scientists with industry representatives from biomedical, artificial intelligence, and medicinal chemistry areas. The event opened opportunities for closer mutual communication and future joint activities that could lead to innovations.
CAREERS
Our ESR retreats engaged at least 300 PhD students from across the CEE in a joint event involving scientific presentations, poster sessions, career talks, and skills training sections. We believe this generation of ESRs will gain a positive awareness of the quality of science in CEE. Some of them will become more open to considering postdoc careers in CEE.
The ESR retreat provided interesting learning opportunities for early-stage researchers. The first session introduced trends and traps when conducting research and communicating research results and addressed important issues such as ethics in research and medical professions. Professor Iuliana Ceausu introduced the most essential medical professionalism principles – altruism, accountability, excellence, duty, honour, integrity, and respect for others, and emphasized the necessity of inducing them in the medical curricula for students, residents, PhD students and postgraduate continuing education.
Additionally, ESR retreat participants have the base – knowing colleagues from excellent teams, and having the personal link of the joint retreat experience – to establish and nurture collaborations with their colleagues from CEE
INNOVATION
We believe our continuous engagement with the industry contributes to the dynamic enhancement of industry-academia networks in CEE. The resources developed in A4L_ACTIONS work packages, especially the Excellence Map and Database of Core Facilities, significantly reduce the transaction costs for industry to reach out to relevant academic partners. The knowledge of high-quality R&I landscapes in CEE is already at hand. Thus, we believe to contribute to the almost universally declared goal of RIS3 strategies in CEE countries: to advance the R&I in Health and Life Sciences to improve the quality of life of the citizens and the competitiveness of the regional industries.