Reflections on EU projects

Research in Technology-Enhanced Learning, Creativity, and Roadmapping

Lampros StergioulasSISCM, Brunel University

Overview

A historical walkthrough of projects in TEL, Creativity, and Roadmapping

Outlook of EU research funding – current perspective and future prospects

Reflections on EU bids

Overview of research projects

European TEL research: Home truths and family secrets

Past research (in TEL, & often beyond):Delivery of TEL below its weightHigh expectations, but low impactLow return on investment, low exploitationDisillusionment, disappointmentFailing so far to establish EU as a global leaderGood transnational research collaboration But pan-European, transnational, trans-cultural TEL still elusive

European TEL research: Home truths and family secrets

What future for TEL research funding?Current trend: A smaller share of a smaller pie; stock taking – New focus on large practice-based trialsCurrent & future funding squeezePolitically too important to cut off funding More focus on industry / exploitation of researchNeed for new strategy / new approach to funding programme designForesight, Roadmapping, strategic planning

The beginning – how it started

1996 Research Associate at Cambridge University – partly funded from an EU project

1998 Joined a consortium in its making1999 First proposal – success! – UNIVERSAL project (Lecturer at the University of Manchester, then Lancaster)€170,000 (overall project grant: ca. €5M)

The UNIVERSAL IST project

20 institutions from around Europe

Big idea: A common platform to enable Europe’s Universities to share learning resources (still relevant!)

Great fun - Research into semantic web, ontologies, use of metadata, evaluation of e-learning resourceshttp://zope.cetis.ac.uk/content/20020823174106

The legacy of UNIVERSAL

Seminal project – relatively high impact

The Universal Brokerage platform powers the educanext.org portal

Spawned a variety of other projects on the management and sharing of learning resources

Roadmapping projects

IST Project 2002-2004

European Roadmap for Professional eTraining – (Lancaster & Brunel)

IST Project 2003-2009 Network of Excellence in

Professional Learning

ESAEO Project 2007-2009 Social dialogue for the European Banking sector

My first role as coordinator

European DigitalLiteracy Network

funded by the programme (2007)

www.estart-net.org

Proposal ranked 2nd out of 167Network, evaluation, roadmapTotal of €300,000 – largely underfunded

Recent & current projects

eContentPlus project (2008)

Interoperable Content for Performance in a Competency-driven Society www.icoper.org

eContentPlus project (2008)Skill based scouting of open user-generated and community-improved

content for management education and training

DYRECT - Marie Curie Project (2010)DYnamic Roadmapping with application for EduCation and Training (eval. 96/100)

Open Discovery Space – started April 2012

Recent projects

Future gazing Technology Enhanced Learning the roadmap for the unknown learning landscapeFP7 project, €2.2M Brunel coordinates - 10 partners www.telmap.org Provides direct input to TEL decision making

EC Negotiations: Despite a score of 14.5, tight race to the last minute

Web portal: learningfrontiers.eu making the invisible visible

A professional web portal to monitor and support the research developments/achievements on and the results/impact in TEL. Current features offer: roadmapping space,landscape of researchers, project fact files, and stories of impact

Open Discovery Space - started in April 2012

Open Discovery Space

Open Education Europa

ODS is part of this initiative:http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/

20130925_en.htmThe Commission launched 'Opening up

Education' to boost innovation and digital skills in schools and universities

(and address the “implementation gap”)http://openeducationeuropa.eu Technology and Open Educational Resources as

opportunities to reshape EU educationSlide 16

New projects in C&I

FET-ART explores the interaction between ICT and Art(started June 2013)Publicity in Vilnius ICT2013 eventwww.ict-art-connect.eu CRe-AM (Technology Enhanced Creativity)

Roadmapping for the EU creative industries – bridging the creative sectors with the ICT communities.

www.cre-am.eu

Slide 17

This publication reflects the views only of the author/project consortium, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

 Roadmaps for future research and innovation

www.cre-am.eu

Aim of CRe-AM

Aim: to provide a collaboration bridge between the communities of ICT and creative sector, and to provide consultation and support to both ICT and creative sector stakeholders and communities via a long-term Roadmapping service with which they can actively engage

The main target users will be: individual creators/workers and professionals, as well as SMEs, creative groups, communities, and organizations.

www.cre-am.eu / info@cream.eu

Outlook of EU research funding current perspectives and future prospects

The future

HORIZON 2020 objectives

SocietalChallenges

Industrialleadership

Excellent Science

3 key objectives •Integrating the knowledge triangle •Provides scientific and technical support to the European policy

ICT 2013: Create, Connect, Grow6-8 November 2013, Vilnius

ICT in Horizon 2020 the EU's Framework Programme for Research and

Innovation for 2014-2020.

Specific objectives:A meeting point for potential proposers;A big policy conference;Understanding change from FP7.

See: https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/ict-2013

Some reflections on EU research bids

Upsides and downsides

+ (what’s in it for me?)Fund your researchResearch autonomyBuild interdisciplinary researchMeet a lot of good people – even if not successful, networking helpsBuild broader, lasting collaborations & networksTeam up and work with the bestTake your research to an international levelIt’s money for doing something that you like doing anyway! Get to travel, go to conferences

Upsides and downsides

- (what will I need to avoid/ compromise with?)-Research too prescriptive-Communication can be difficult-Coordinator usually overloaded-Administration can be burden (and time consuming)-Get to travel too much

Observations on success o Clarity and consistency about your vision,

pursue it methodically with patience, persevere in the face of failure

o Big better than small! – organic approacho Make-up of team (spirit, coverage, capacity

mix, size) – early team engagement o Coordination gives you far better control

over the final outcome, but not for everyoneo Negotiations are crucial decider o A successful proposal is quite different from

a successful project (EU eval., recruitment)

Observations on EU bids Fair game, reasonable success ratesNo magic wand, no universal rulesOverall team effortManagement support/buy-inResearch admin support helps a lotEarly communication with ECProject management

- not to be underestimated- focus on substance, not on admin- critical vs superficial

Openness and collaboration is key: We can only get that far as lone scholars…

Team ethos: honesty, trust, sharing, open, supportive research environment, coaching & mentoring, but agile/loose/variable – a creative mess! Good use of human resource – “factory of ideas”

Continuity: build on previous success

Reflections on research

Reflections on academic success

International collaborations are important for success of a research UniversityHealthy community of PhD students is equally important for success Funding is not that important for doing research (but it certainly helps!) – focus more on output, rather than input

Thank you

Ahlia University, Bahrain 29/8/2013 Slide 32