Referat conu

8/7/2019 Referat conu

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European Science Foundation

1. About us:The European Science Foundation (ESF) is an association of 79 member organisations devoted to

scientific research in 30 European countries. Since 1974, they have coordinated a wide range of pan-

European scientific initiatives, and the flexible organisation structure means they can respond quickly

to new developments.

Our purpose

ESF's core purpose is to promote high quality science at a European level.

Our commitments

The ESF is committed to facilitating cooperation and collaboration in European science on behalf of

its principal stakeholders (Member Organisations and Europe's scientific community). This cross-

border activity combines both 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' approaches in the long-term development of

science.

The Foundation is committed to providing scientific leadership through its networking expertise and

by ensuring that there is a European added value to all of its initiatives and projects.

Pan-European

ESF believes that there is value in bringing together scientists and organisations from different

countries to cooperate on projects at a pan-European level. It believes that this diversity offers the

potential for European added value.

Multidisciplinary

The background to current scientific enquiry is a complex and fluid one. New specialisms are

emerging, the boundaries between existing disciplines becoming blurred. Many of the breakthroughs

of tomorrow are likely to be the result of inter-disciplinary endeavour between specialists from a broad

range of backgrounds. Multidisciplinarity is therefore essential, and the ESF promotes this, providing

a clear, relevant voice across the whole science spectrum - from humanities and the social sciences, to

biology and physics.

Flexible

The ESF is a relatively small organisation. One benefit of its size is that it remains flexible and

responsive. It is free to move rapidly into new and emerging areas; it can respond to the changingneeds of the interest groups it serves.

Rigorous

Rigour informs everything that the ESF does; the way it is structured; the way it operates; the values it

promotes. Quality is paramount, at the very heart of our remit - to promote high quality research, and

encourage effective cooperation with existing and emerging avenues of scientific enquiry throughout

Europe.


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Open

The ESF exists to make possible greater openness in European scientific cooperation. The scientific

Standing Committees role is to provide broader opportunities for scientists to work together and share

knowledge. Through a wide range of networking activities the ESF provides focus and support for

scientists throughout Europe.

2. ESF Structure and GovernanceTo fulfil its purpose to promote high quality science at a European level, ESF operates with a flexible

administrative structure. This helps to be responsive - free to move rapidly into new and emerging

areas and capable of responding to the changing needs of the interest groups we serve. It also makes

our contribution a cost-effective one.

The following organigramme shows how we are organised.

The Assembly

The Assembly is the main decision-making body of the ESF. It meets once a year, and all Member

Organisations are represented. The Assembly appoints the President, Vice Presidents and the Chief

Executive of the ESF. It also approves the annual reports of the Governing Council, the reports of any


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The ESF Office

The office of the ESF, based in Strasbourg, manages the day-to-day business of the ESF. The ESF

Office is directed by the Chief Executive who is appointed by the Assembly. The current Chief

Executive is Professor Marja Makarow. She is assisted by an international staff.

COST

COST- the acronym for European COoperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research - is

the oldest and one of the widest European intergovernmental network for coordination of nationally

funded research activities. Established by a Ministerial Conference of 19 European States in

November 1971, COST is at present serving the scientific communities of 35 countries to cooperate in

common research Actions supported by national funds.

COST Structure

The Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) is the main decision-making body and is made of

representatives of all COST countries. The Domain Committees (DC) are responsible for a particular

research domain and are also formed by representatives of the COST countries. The Management

Committees (MC) - one for each Action- are formed by national experts nominated by the countries

participating in the Action, coordinate the activities of the Action and report to the relevant Domain

Committee. The secretariat to the CSO is provided by the Secretariat General of the Council of the

European Union, thus underlining the intergovernmental character of COST. The scientific and

administrative Secretariat to the COST Domain Committees and to the Actions is provided by the

European Science Foundation (ESF) - the implementing Agent of COST- through a COST Office

located in Brussels.

3. ActivitiesESF categorises its activities by dividing them into three pillars.

Science Strategy

Within this pillar which aims to provide high level and high quality foresight and advice on science,

research infrastructure and science policy issues, are activities such as Forward Looks, Science Policy

Briefings, Member Organisation Fora and Exploratory Workshops.

Science Synergy

The instruments grouped here aim to bring together excellent scientists at all stages of their careers to

advance the frontiers of research. These activities are EUROCORES, ESF Research Networking

Programmes and ESF Research Conferences.

Science Management

ESF also manages external programmes and takes a co-ordinating role in various EC-funded ERA-

NETs.


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Science Strategy

Forward Looks:

The flagship activity of ESFs strategic arm, Forward Looks enable Europes scientific community, in

interaction with policy makers, to develop medium to long-term views and analyses of future research

developments with the aim of defining research agendas at national and European level. Forward

Looks are driven by ESFs Member Organisations and, by extension, the European research

community. Quality assurance mechanisms, based on peer review where appropriate, are applied at

every stage of the development and delivery of a Forward Look to ensure its quality and impact.

Current Forward Looks

Title Starting

year

Affiliation

Ageing, Health and Pensions in Europe 2008 SCSS*

EMRC

Implementation of Medical Research into Clinical Practice - A

Growing Challenge

2008 EMRC*

Central and Eastern Europe beyond Transition: Convergence

and Divergence in Europe

2009 SCSS*

Mathematics and Industry in Europe

2009 PESC*

Responses to Environmental and Societal Challenges for our

Unstable Earth (RESCUE)

2009 LESC*

PESC

SCH

SCSS

COST

NuPECC Long Range Plan 2010 (Perspectives for Nuclear

Physics Research in Europe)

2009 NuPECC*

PESC

Technology breakthroughs for scientific progress (TechBreak)

2009 ESSC*

Gene environment interaction in chronic disease 2010 EMRC*

Media Studies: new Media and new Literacies 2010 SCH*

SCSS

*leading Committee

Completed Forward Looks

Title Starting

year

Affiliation


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Earth System Science: Global Problems, Global Science -

Europe's future role in global change research

2001 LESC*

SCSS

European Computational Science Forum: The Lincei Initiative:

from Computers to Scientific Excellence

2006 PESC*

LESC

European Food Systems in a Changing World 2006 LESC*

EMRC

SCH

SCSS

COST

Higher Education in Europe Beyond 2010: Resolving Conflicting

Social and Economic Expectations

2006 SCSS*

SCH

Immigration and the Construction of Identities in Contemporary

Europe

2002 SCH*

Investigator-Driven Clinical Trials

2007 EMRC*

Nanosciences and the Long Term Evolution of Information

Technology (NSIT)

2001 PESC*

Nanomedicine 2003 EMRC*

RNA World: a new frontier in biomedical research

2007 EMRC*

LESC

Security - Advancing a Framework for Enquiry (SAFE)

2007 SCH*

SCSS

Systems Biology 2004 EMRC*

LESC

PESC

Urban Science 2002 SCSS*

EMRC

LESC

PESC

SCH

Forward Look Workshop on Cultural Diversity, Collective Identity

and Collective Action

2002 SCSS*


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Corporate Science Policy Initiatives

ESF governing and scientific bodies monitor emerging science policy challenges likely to impact on

the way science is being funded and research is conducted. ESF together with its member

organisations and other key players join efforts in helping raise awareness of pressing issues providing

a venue to discuss common strategies and developed adequate solutions.

The Second World Conference on Research Integrity

The First World Conference on Research Integrity held in Lisbon, Portugal in September 2007, and

organised by the ESF, addressed the creation and promotion of a worldwide understanding of the key

issues of research misconduct policy, responsible conduct of research, education and the promotion of

professional responsibility in research.

The Second World Conference on Research Integrity, to be held in Singapore, is a further opportunity

to:

y Explore research integrity issues in depthy Demonstrate the global research communitys commitment to the highest standards of

behaviour in research

y Develop the global networks and understandings needed to maintain public confidence inresearch in whatever field and wherever it is undertaken

ESF Research Infrastructures

The second ESF Strategic Plan, covering the years 2002-2006, reflected the greatly increased profile

and interest in Research Infrastructures (RI) at the time it was written and identified RI as one of its

principal Action Lines. Whilst the interest and activity in RI has continued to grow greatly since

2001, especially in research domains where the concept of RI was previously weak, so has changed

the landscape within Europe for debating and planning for current, upgraded and future RI. The

emergences the European Roadmap for Research Infrastructure" (ESFRI), of RI-centric ERANets,

and the Research Infrastructures priority in the joint EUROHORCs and ESF vision and Action

Roadmap for the future ERA, are examples of this.

In writing its third Strategic Plan, for the years 2006-2010, ESF and its stakeholders reflected on how

best ESF could contribute to debates and strategies in RI and how best to organise itself internally to

fit the new Strategic Plan direction. Organisationally, ESF recognised that the creation of a separate

Action Line and office unit for RI had had the effect of distancing the scientific committees and boards

from RI issues. To reengage the scientific committees and boards, which represent or have contact

with the majority of RI-users as well as some RI-provider communities, ESF has returned

responsibilities for coordinating scientific debates, reviews and strategies in specific research domainsto the scientific committees and boards. Each committee and board has RI actions and activities.

However, certain RI issues span, either in content or strategy, the range of ESF research domains.

Such issues are coordinated at the corporate ESF level in the CEOs Unit, involving the relevant

science committees, boards and units as necessary. The current activities at the corporate level are

listed below.


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The Strategic Plan 2006-2010 increased the emphasis on ESFs role in scientific foresight, in

particular with the Forward Look instrument and in creating foci for Member Organisations to discuss

issues and plan actions in the MO Fora instrument. With the addition of ESFs traditional strengths in

reviewing with scientific rigour and at the international level both proposals for new RI and the

performance of existing RI, ESF is now able to deploy a tool-kit for the majority of MOs and other

organisations on RI needs.

Corporate Coordination in Research Infrastructure

The main corporate Research Infrastructure activities during 2008 are

- European RIs web portal

- Preserving Digital Records of Science

Member Organisation Fora

An ESF Member Organisation Forum is an output-oriented, issue-related venue for the MemberOrganisations, involving other organisations as appropriate, to exchange information and experiences

and develop joint actions in science policy.

Research Networking Programmes

Research Networking Programmes (RNPs) lay the foundation for nationally funded research groups to

address major scientific and research infrastructure issues, in order to advance the frontiers of existing

science. These long-term programmes, subject to selection through an open call and an international

peer review process, must deal with high-quality science and demonstrate the added value of being

carried out at the European level.

a. Guidelines for Management of ESF Research Networking Programmes IntroductionESF Research Networking Programmes (formerly "Scientific Programmes") are self-coordinating

activities and the decision-making process is based on the principle of self-management.

Responsibility for managing a Programme rests with its Steering Committee, to which each

contributing organisation can nominate a member.

The Steering Committee typically meets once per year, and more frequently if necessary.

The Steering Committee selects a Chair from within its membership; normally this person is one of the

proposers and must come from a country of one of the contributing ESF Member Organisations. The

Chair represents the Programme, and is responsible for its scientific and operational coordination andfor reporting to ESF. He/she is expected to dedicate, on an honorary basis, a reasonable amount of

time and effort to the management of the Programme. Programme related travel other than

participation in meetings of the Programme and external administrative costs can be reimbursed.

The Programmes budget may cover the costs of an external Programme Coordinator to assist the

Chair in managing and coordinating Programme activities.


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An ESF team, including the liaison officer (administrative contact person) and the scientific secretary,

under the supervision of the relevant ESF Head of Unit, will be responsible for working with the

Programme Steering Committee.

ESF Research Networking Programmes are "open" activities. Principal participants within a

Programme, e.g. Steering Committee members, are expected to network with colleagues in other

research groups to ensure that opportunities in a Programmes activities are known and are open to alleligible participants. New participants to a Programme from participating countries can be co-opted

during the lifetime of the Programme upon decision of the Steering Committee. In the case of

participants from countries which do not contribute to the Programme, the decision lies with the

relevant Head of Unit.

ESF evaluates Programmes at the mid and final term and may, at any time, recommend to the funding

Member Organisations termination or redirection. ESF, on behalf of the contributing organisations,

retains ultimate financial and management authority. ESFs responsibility is to ensure that the budget

is allocated and spent in an appropriate and effective manner within its financial rules.

b. Guidelines for Management of ESF Research Networking Programmes -Management Structure

Steering Committee

Composition

Each organisation contributing funds to the Programme (otherwise referred to as contributing

organisation) is eligible to nominate a member for the duration of its contribution. However, it is

usual for there to be only one member per country, but flexibility may be shown if there are two or

more contributing organisations from the same country.

The usual practice is for organisations to nominate the scientist from their country suggested as a

Steering Committee member in the proposal.

Gender and age balance should be taken into account in forming the Steering Committee.

Chair

The Chair is elected by the Steering Committee from among its membership and he/she should be

from an ESF member country. In addition to the specific responsibilities of this position, the Chair will

also act as the member for his/her contributing organisation.

Advisory experts

A very limited number of experts whose presence is essential on scientific grounds may be invited to

attend meetings of the Steering Committee. The basis for this will be decided at the first SteeringCommittee meeting and is subject to approval by ESF. The expenses of such persons may be paid out

of the Programme funds. These advisory experts are not members of the Steering Committee, and are

not entitled to vote.

ESF staff, assistants to the Chair, Programme Coordinators

These may attend meetings but are not members of the Steering Committee.


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recommendations to the Steering Committee, or in dealing with funding applications. Ad hoc

working groups may be set up to carry out the detailed planning of Programme activities such

as conferences and workshops.

7) The Programme Steering Committee Chair is responsible for the production of all Programmereports.

8) Intellectual Property Rights must be discussed and agreed at the first meeting of the SteeringCommittee.

9) At the first Steering Committee meeting, ESF staff will inform members of data protectionissues including personal information kept in the ESF database and data protection regulations

concerning external web sites.

Meeting expenses

The travel and associated costs of Steering Committee members and ESF staff for attendance at

Steering Committee meetings or sub-meetings will be covered by the funds of the Programme in

accordance with ESF rules for reimbursement of expenses (see ESF Travel Claim Form - PDF 189

KB)

.To economise on resources, a Committee meeting should be scheduled, if possible, in conjunctionwith a Programme workshop or conference and held at a convenient European location or at the home

institute of a member of the Committee. It is expected for meetings to be scheduled around weekends

so that cheaper air tickets can be purchased (Advance Purchase Excursion Fare / APEX).

This budget heading also covers:

y limited and justified costs of travel other than participation in meetings of the Programmeincurred by the Chair and approved by the Steering Committee;

y costs of travel of the External Programme Coordinator to Programme meetings (see below);y any costs of ESF mid-term or final review meetings on the Programme.

External Administrative Costs

This heading covers administrative costs incurred by the Chairs and/or Programme Coordinators

organisation in managing the various activities related to the Programme. The main items eligible are

secretarial costs, postage, fax, telephone facilities and other office running expenses. This heading is

intended as a contribution to the costs of an existing office. New computers, printers, fax machines or

other equipment, rental of space or subscription to a network provider are not covered. Charges under

this heading will normally be reimbursed against claims made by the Chairs or Coordinators

institution. Claims made by an individual must be supported by all original vouchers, etc.

External Programme Coordinator (outside ESF)

The Programmes budget may cover the costs of an external Programme Coordinator to assist theChair in managing and coordinating Programme activities.

The Coordinator is not a member of the Steering Committee.

Role

y The role of the Programme Coordinator is to assist the Chair and the Steering Committee inachieving the Programme aims and objectives and includes all or part of the f


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y Provide assistance to the Chair and the Co-Chair in organisation of Steering Committeemeetings, including preparation of an agenda and documents and writing minutes;

y Organise scientific activities (e.g. workshops, conferences, schools, short and exchange visits)in collaboration with the specific convenors responsible for each event and in liaison with ESF

staff;

y Assist with the publication and dissemination of working papers, publication of books,preparation and distribution of a Programme newsletter;

y Assist with the preparation of reports and other documentation and take general responsibilityfor the full documentation of the Programme;

y Develop and maintain the content of an external website in order to provide a clear and up-to-date source of information about the Programmes activities and output;

y Act as the day-to-day contact point for researchers and for the ESF office concerning theProgramme.

The proposal for the use of a Programme Coordinator should be included and justified in the

Programme proposal. The Programme proposal should contain the costs foreseen and their

justification, this being subject to approval in the assessment of the proposal by the Standing

Committee. The detail of the costs and the duration of the position of Coordinator should be agreed bythe first meeting of the Programme Steering Committee within the bounds set by ESFs approval.

Requirements

In general, the person appointed should be a researcher at post-doctoral level (or post-graduate) with a

good knowledge of the field of the Programme. He/she should preferably be part of the Chairs

research group. ESF has to be consulted regarding his/her appointment.

Appointment details

The appointment is usually for a maximum of a half-time position.

The Coordinator will be an employee of a university or institute to which ESF will make financial

contributions on an agreed basis towards the costs of the Coordinators salary related to the ESF

activity.

ESF will send a letter that will assure the institution that all relevant payments will be covered during

the period of employment. This letter should be signed by the ESF Director of Finance and

Administration and the relevant ESF Head of Unit. No contracts between ESF and the employing

institution will be made.

This budget heading covers only contributions to the salary. Costs of travel to Programme meetings of

the External Programme Coordinator shall be covered from the Steering Committee meetings budget

line.

An audited report on this budget line is required.

c. Guidelines for Management of ESF Research Networking Programmes -Management of Programme Activities

To achieve its objectives, a Programme can include the following:


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y Science meetings (workshops, conferences or schools) organised either by Programmeparticipants or following an open call for proposals;

y Travel grants for short and exchange visits awarded following an open call for applications;y Publication of information brochures, leaflets, scientific books and meeting proceedings etc;

creation of websites;

y Creation of scientific databases at the European level.All activities must be in the interests of the Programme and not necessarily limited geographically to

contributing countries. The decision on funding lies with the Steering Committee. Having assessed

scientific merit and relevance to the Programme, preference should normally be given to activities in

the following order:

1. between contributing countries;

2. between a contributing country and a non-contributing ESF member country;

3. between a contributing country and a non-ESF member country in Europe;

4. between a contributing country and any country not covered by 1-3.

If agencies from countries with ESF Observer status are not contributing to a given Programme, their

scientists should be classed as non-ESF. In the case of doubt, decisions on eligibility will be taken by

the ESF Head of Unit.

Science Meetings

Science Meetings are organised either by Programme participants or on the basis of an open call for

proposals.

Decisions on the funding of Science Meetings are taken by the Programme Steering Committee using

Guidelines for Assessment of Applications for Funding. Appendix 1 (PDF 206 KB).

A workshop may bring together between 10 and 50 participants for two to four days to focus on a

specific issue.

A conference a scientific meeting with a broader impact brings together a larger number of

participants (> 50) for two to four days and consists of lectures, exchange of information and

discussion on developments in a specific scientific area.

A school is directed towards graduate students who have completed a masters degree, doctoral

students or the equivalent. It may bring together between 30 to 150 participants to focus on a specific

issue with a clear training element. The duration of a school would normally be one to two weeks.

Schools might take place in connection with other activities or as an independent activity.

d. Guidelines for Management of ESF Research Networking Programmes - FinancialManagement, Reporting, Duration and Extensions

Financial Management

All costs for the Programme must be included and justified in the proposal; they will be revised and

approved by the relevant Standing Committee(s) during the assessment and selection procedure.


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ESF issues an annual call for contributions to those agencies participating in ESF Programmes. Funds

are received and managed by ESF on a Programme-by-Programme basis. ESF Programme accounts

are audited annually and the auditors report is presented to the ESF General Assembly. The fiscal

year of ESF is the calendar year.

Reporting

Halfway through the Programme, a Mid-term Report will normally be requested to form the basis for

evaluation by the ESF Standing Committee(s), whose evaluation report will be sent to organisations

contributing to the Programme with a recommendation to continue or terminate funding.

At the end of the Programme, a Final Report will be requested so that the Standing Committee(s) can

evaluate the results. Failure to submit a report will proscribe the applicant(s) from submitting further

proposals for ESF activities, and may result in the retention of funds.

Final Reports will be sent to the contributing organisations and published on the ESF website.

In the case of Programmes of shorter duration than five years, the mid-term report requirement may be

waived.

Reporting guidelines are:

y Mid-term Reportsy Final Reports

Travel costs related to the evaluation have to be covered by the Programme and included under the

budget line for Steering Committee meetings.

All documents relating to Steering Committee meetings, selection and decisions on funding for travel

grants and scientific meetings, other financial commitments, etc., must be provided to the ESF Office.

The ESF Office will retain these and financial documents relating to the programme in accordance

with its audit requirements

Duration and Extensions

The month of the first meeting of the Steering Committee marks the launch of the Programme. A

Programme ends on the last day of the final month of the funding period stated in the Letter of

Approval forLaunching sent by ESF to the proponent.

Some editorial or publishing activities may take place after the official completion date provided funds

have been committed prior to this date.

Limited extensions, up to six months, may be granted in exceptional circumstances, and with no

additional funding. Extensions should be considered only in order not to miss a major scientificopportunity, and must not be considered if the principal objective of the extension is to use unspent

funds. Decisions on extension are the responsibility of the ESF Heads of Units.

Programmes requiring extra funds or longer extensions (e.g. a new Programme) may, according to

Standing Committee policy, be allowed to submit a follow-up Programme proposal for consideration

in the normal, competitive, peer-reviewed manner.


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e. ESF Member Organisation Forum on Evaluation of Funding Schemes and ResearchProgrammes

Background

Getting the evaluation of funding schemes and research programmes right for improving both the

internal operations and the external accountability of funding agencies and research organisations isgaining importance. However, the procedures and organisational integration of evaluation activities

are rather different across Europe. The ESF Member Organisation Forum onEvaluation of Funding

Schemes and Research Programmes brought together more than 40 evaluation officers from ESF

Member Organisations to exchange experiences and gather best practice. From October 2007 to

November 2009, the Forum convened in five workshops, focused on the following topics:

1. 1st Workshop (hosted by DFG German Research Foundation): Evaluation of FundingSchemes and Research Programmes: Expectations, Practices and Experiences

2. 2nd Workshop (hosted by the INFN - Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics):Quantitative Indicators in ex-post Evaluation of Funding Schemes and Research Programmes

3. 3rd Workshop (hosted by FWF Austrian Science Fund): Best practices in Qualityassurance

4. 4th Workshop (hosted by OTKA Hungarian Scientific Research Fund): Socio-economicimpact assessment

5. 5th Workshop (hosted by SFI - Science Foundation Ireland and HRB - Health ResearchBoard) in November 2009 was the Final Forum workshop.

Aims & Objectives

y to facilitate networking of science officers engaged in evaluation,y

to exchange and document experiences with current practices,y to explore needs and possibilities for collaboration in future evaluation exercises.

ESF Member Organisation Forum on Peer Review

Background

Public and private research funding organisations at the national and international level face the

challenge of assessing the quality and potential of research proposals taking into consideration their

own scientific individuality and research cultures. To this end there is a need to develop systems

profitable for all funding agencies involved, minimising the burden on the peers themselves andmaximising the assessment of scientific excellence. Achieving this goal demands defining common

pan-European quality criteria for peer review. Peer review criteria developed at the European level

according to international standards and adopted at the national level could play a powerful role in

enabling European scientists to operate in a global context. The ESF Member Organisation Forum on

Peer Review that forms the basis for the EUROHORCs-ESF Road Map Action on Peer Review has


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been extended until October 2011 to discuss the main characteristics of a successful pan-European

Peer Review system.

Aims

The ESF Member Organisation Forum on Peer Review has created an output-oriented network that

debates, exchanges and promotes good practices across Europe. The Forum has already established an

Action Plan to develop a Peer Review Guide by the end of 2010.

Objectives

y Exchange and document experiences with current practicesy Identification of good practicesy Working towards peer review coordination to enable benchmarking of national peer review

processes.

y Standardisation of peer review processes to make outcomes of nationally conducted peerreview comparable.

y International peer review and sharing of resources.Action

Develop a Peer Review Guide .

The different meetings discussions have led to the necessity of writing a Peer Review Guide for

practitioners:

y The Guide will be directed at European research funding agencies and councils, privatefoundations and charities.

y Its objective is to increase the quality and effectiveness of grant peer review processes.y It will include the mapping of current peer review practices, highlighting exemplars and

developing good or better practice guidelines and recommendations.

y It will have the form of a tool box where for each issue one will find core principles andrecommendations as well as references to good practices (exemplars).

y The Guide will aim at establishing common terminology for peer review: common definitionsof terms used will be described and synonyms in use will be collected.

y The guide will be published on the ESF website and maintained by ESF staff.ESF Member Organisation Forum on Research Infrastructures

Research excellence requires excellent Research Infrastructures (RI) which not only support research

but also lead its development into new directions and create an attractive environment for world-class

researchers. Operating at a different level from the EU Member States European Strategy Forum for

Research Infrastructure (ESFRI), many ESF Member Organisations fund, operate and access research

infrastructures of national and European importance. As these are not the focus of ESFRI, ESF


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Member Organisations have identified the need to establish a network of stakeholders complementary

to ESFRI for discussing and sharing best practice in funding and operating the transnational research

infrastructures. To this end the decision was made at ESF Governing Council in April 2008 to launch a

Member Organisation (MO) Forum on this important topic. The MO Forum was launched on 11-12

January 2010 in Strasbourg and it attracted delegates from more than 23 Member Organisations and

convened observers from the European Commission, ERC, ERF, ESFRI and ALLEA.

Aim

The ESF Member Organisation Forum on Research Infrastructures is created as a platform for

discussing joint investments in the creation of, networking, and access to research infrastructures, as

well as evaluation and benchmarking.

Objectives

The Forum will develop comprehensive tools for the adequate treatment of research infrastructure

related topics (funding procedures, access rules, running costs, personnel, replacement, etc.). The

Forum will analyse the impact of the approaches developed by ESF Expert Committees and Boards.

The aim is to gradually evolve the Forum into a network through stakeholder workshops, by initiating

research infrastructure specific user-meetings and interaction with scientists and instrument suppliers

to identify new developments. The Forum will develop recommendations on requirements for research

infrastructures and study the merits and applicability of the European legal framework for research

infrastructures proposed by the European Commission.

The Forum is looking forward to updating and upgrading the inventory of national researchinfrastructures with European significance which was initiated by the EUROHORCs, the European

Commission and the ESF.

Actions

A first set of four important actions relating to Research Infrastructures was identified:

1. Access and Standards

y Collect current existing information on standardsy Produce a new definition of the minimum requirements on how RIs should organise external

access

y Elaborate an extended definition containing additional criteria for each specific research discipline2. Funding and Evaluation

y Issue recommendations for joint cross border funding of the operating costs (by transnationalusers)

y Encourage external access to RIs


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3. Mobility and Networks

y Develop support and sustainability mechanism for networks (development of funding schemesand/or incentives)

y Enable networking of RIs (by offering opportunities for RI specific workshops, user-meetings,interaction with external scientists/industry to exchange expertise, identify new developments)

4. Mapping

y Develop a mapping/landscape/overview of the existing RIs in Europe.

ESF Member Organisation Forum on Science in Society Relationships

About

Proposing Member Organisations

y Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Francey Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), Bulgariay The Danish Council for Independent Research, Denmarky Danish National Research Foundation (DG), Denmarky Academy of Finland, Finlandy l'Institut national de la sant et de la recherche mdicale, Inserm, Francey Union of the German Academies of Science and Humanities, Germanyy Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italyy Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientficas (CSIC), Spainy Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, SwedenRationale

Science in Society Relationships is a new strategic question in science policy as expressed in the ESF-

EUROHORCs Road Map. CNRS and the ESF Office organised a road mapping event in July 2009,

where the representatives of 24 ESF Member Organisations as well as further stakeholders and experts

of science-society relationships discussed the specific steps ESF should take to help the scientific

community improve its relations with the different publics in society, outlining this MO Forum.

Aims, Objectives & Actions

The MO Forum may consist of four to six workshops that may be organised partly according to the

different publics science has to deal with and partly according to the overarching aspects ofrelationship management.

y Early 2010: Overarching Workshop on the situation of science-society relationships.y Autumn 2010: Workshop on science-citizens and science-education relationships: with NGOs,

teachers, students, administrators, education policy makers.


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y Early 2011: Workshop on science-media relationships: with journalists from electronic, print andweb media, from quality and tabloid media.

y Autumn 2011: Workshop on science-industry and science-politics relationships: with politiciansfrom national and European politics, the representatives of industry and further users of scientific

results.

y Early 2012: Overarching Workshop on the specific issues and best practices of relationshipmanagement.

y Autumn 2010: Final Conference on Science-Society RelationshipsStrategic Alignment

y With Chapter 1 of the EUROHORCs and ESF Vision on a Globally Competitive ERA and theirRoad Map for Actions

Expected Outputs

y Guidelines for MOs to improve their relationships with their publics and their stakeholders,y Practical examples to be disseminated among members,y Network of MO representatives aware of science interaction with society,y Network of stakeholders having experience with dialogues between scientists and society.

ESF Member Organisation Forum on Evaluation of Publicly Funded Research

About


y German Research Foundation (DFG), Germanyy Health Research Board (HRB), Irelandy Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), Netherlandsy Austrian Science Fund (FWF), Austriay National Research Fund (FNR), Luxembourgy Research Council of Norway, Norwayy Swedish Research Council (VR), Swedeny Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA), HungaryRationale

The ESF Member Organisation Forum on Evaluation of Funding Schemes and Research Programmes

had been successful in exchanging practices and facilitating the networking of sciences officers

engaged in evaluation. The feedback on this MO Forum has been very positive. In course of its work,

new questions were raised, which were not answered yet but deemed to be worthwhile exploring in

this new ESF Member Organisation Forum on Evaluation of Publicly Funded Research.

There is a need for the continuous exchange of information on evaluation practices and practical

approaches. The ESF Member Organisation Forum on Evaluation of Publicly Funded Research is the


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sole dedicated platform for European research organisations that provides a continuous forum to

exchange information and work together on common projects. The EUROHORCs and ESF Road Map

acknowledges the work of the ESF MO Forum. The ESF Member Organisation Forum on Evaluation

of Publicly Funded Research can help to implement activities within the Action 6 of the Road Map

(Develop common approaches to ex post evaluation of funding schemes and research programmes).


y To exchange and document experiences with current practices,y To facilitate networking,y To regularly update, elaborate and disseminate the report on evaluation,y To explore possibilities for collaboration in future evaluation exercises,y To identify best practice examples in research evaluation that could possibly lead to a Guideline

for Evaluation Processes

Strategic Alignment


Expected Outputs

y A collection of recent evaluation studies, e.g. an web-based repository,y A final report on the activities and results of the MO Forum,y If possible: coordination of common activities, e.g. comparative evaluative study.

ESF Member Organisation Forum on Evaluation: Indicators of Internationalisation

About


y National Research Council (CNR), Italyy National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Italyy Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), The Netherlandsy National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA), Francey Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (FAS), SwedenRationale

During the ESF Member Organisation Forum on Ex-Post Evaluation of Funding Schemes and

Research Programmes, whose purpose was to identify the main topics that are encompassed within the

issue of ex-post evaluation, the topic of indicators has been strongly noted as a major one. At the

same time, the EUROHORCs and ESF Vision on a Globally Competitive ERA and their Road Map

for Actions acknowledges the work of the Forum which can help to implement activities within Action


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6 of the Road Map (Develop common approaches to ex-post evaluation of funding schemes and

research programmes).


The pilot study aims to design and to produce a set of indicators that could account for the

internationalisation of European research activities and programmes and be useful for Member

Organisations themselves and in their relationships with the European Commission as well as their

governments (for benchmarking and policy evaluation).

y STEP A: A review of current policies and practices in the MOs with respect to theinternationalisation in view of the ERA ambitions.

y STEP B: A review (best practices) on indicators.y STEP C: Selection of a set of possible indicators and operational recommendations to develop

and maintain them.

y STEP D: Test phase. One or more indicators will be tested in a number of selected MemberOrganisations and at the European level.

Strategic Alignment


Expected Outputs

y STEP A: A document with an overview of existing policy developments in view ofinternationalisation in the light of the ERA (green paper, Ljubjana agreement) and practices to

assess internationalisation in MOs.

y STEP B: Report to the ESF / MO Forum in September/October 2010. The report shouldsummarise the results of Steps A and B and present a set of indicators and a review of the

available data.

y STEP C: Report including a set of indicators ready for testing, to be presented at a smallconference of the ESF MO Forum.

y STEP D: Final report including test results and a vision on internationalisation in view of the ERA/ Ljubljana ambitions.

ESF Member Organisation Forum on Evaluation of Funding Schemes and Research Programmes

About

Background

Getting the evaluation of funding schemes and research programmes right for improving both the

internal operations and the external accountability of funding agencies and research organisations is

gaining importance. However, the procedures and organisational integration of evaluation activities


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be regularly updated, further elaborated and disseminated. At the same time, the participants of the

Forum are going to continue to exchange their experiences.

ESF Member Organisation Forum on ESF Member Organisations in Central and Eastern Europe

Promoting Internationalisation of Social Sciences in CEE

Background

The Member Forum ESF Member Organisations in Central and Eastern Europe (MOCEE) brought

together ESF member organisations in CEE countries : Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia,

Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic and Slovenia to develop a catching up

strategy for the social sciences in Central and Eastern Europe.

Aims

The aims of the Forum were:

y to study the research needs of CEE countries in the social sciences,y to promote the dialogue between CEE and other European scientific communities,y and to develop a catching up strategy, including effective use of the instruments of ESF, the EU

and others.

Documents

Referat conu