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Research assessmentreform is an urgent priority of European research policy. While initially closely tied to the advancement of Open Science practices, this objective has grown into a larger movement that addresses many different shortcomings of dominant evaluation practices.European University Alliances are directly concerned by this policy objective and are seen as possible testbeds for reform. EUTOPIA has also committed to implement a framework policy for research assessment and Open Science through the EUTOPIA-TRAIN project. With this paper, we aim to present practical methods and indicators addressing Open Science that are being discussed and piloted at research performing organisations across Europe. We hope to stimulate the institutional transformation of our own alliance and otter universities through the provision of the practical ideas covered in this report. The report builds on an earlier background noteof EUTOPIA in which we have explored the political momentum in the area of research assessment and its implications for European Universities. This report includes sections covering an overview of initiatives and declarations which seek to reform research assessment, including DORA, the Leiden Manifesto and others. Our summary focuses on the role of quantitative and qualitative assessment in these initiatives and declarations. quantitative indicators and metrics that could be used to measure Open Science activities and outputs. Our overview is based on existing source documents from various national and international frameworks. We also provide a summary of the commonalities of these frameworks- as well as challenges when implementing quantitative approaches. qualitative methods for assessment. Our overview is largely based on the emerging experience with narrative CVs, but other measures taken, for instance contextualising achievements and outputs, as well as contravening biases in qualitative assessment are addressed, too. the underlying infrastructure and (open) information systems for assessment that have been discussed and proposed elsewhere to provide an comprehensive, up-to-date, and accessible evidence base for assessments. We also summarise briefly the obstacles one encounters when assessing the FAIRness of research data.

The presentation "Developing European Collaboration in Heritage Science"was held on May 10th, 2022 in the framework of the HS Academy webinarseries.The speakerAlexandre Caussé, responsible for international projects at the Fondation des Sciences du Patrimoine in France, introduced the challengesin implementing the Research Area in the field of heritage science in Europe and beyond and presented different European initiatives. The recordings of all the HS Academy webinars are available on theE-RIHS Youtube channel. &nbsp

A European research and innovation (R&I) initiative was launched in 2020 as a voluntary coordinated action in the European Research Area (ERA). During the German EU Council Presidency in 2020, research ministers agreed on a member state-led R&I initiative to build a European hydrogen economy. The action was started following the Competitiveness Council conclusions of December 2020 (13567/20) in which the Council invited the Commission and interested member states to conduct an agenda process on green hydrogen as an ERA pilot action in 2021, while ensuring consistency with other related EU initiatives.A total of 25 member states and five third countries came together tojointly identify the most important research needs and items for action on green hydrogen in close coordination with the European Commission, which are presented in this strategic research and innovation agenda. It transcends the format of a classic research and innovation agenda, proposing, beyond technological development, innovation measures, policy support and implementation actions to prepare for the realisation of a green and clean hydrogen economy.

EUTOPIA-TRAIN is a project by the EUTOPIA European University, one of the initial 17 alliances supported through the European Universities Initiative. The project has the specific task to “design framework policies for research assessment which reflect Open Science practices and adopt a timetable for implementation”. This activity follows thethe wider strategic agenda of the European Commission which has embraced quality-driven research assessment – in conjunction with advancing Open Science – as a major reform program. This briefing, written as part of the EUTOPIA-TRAIN project, serves as a brief background document for EUTOPIA partners and stakeholders in other European Universities. It explains the rationale behind research assessment reform, sketches the political momentum and stakeholder activities around research assessment reform, presents the dimensions of assessment used in recent frameworks, discusses implications for EUTOPIA, and provides a high-level overview of the activities foreseen by EUTOPIA-TRAIN in the pursuit of this activity.

In 2021, the 13th edition of the High Level Workshop was co-organised by Science Europe, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) and the Luxembourg Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR). The workshop focused on research culture in the ERA, and its influence on how research is conceived, conducted, communicated, and assessed.

Science Europe position on the involvement of stakeholders in the ERA Governance.

With this letter, the undersigned representatives of research and innovation (R&I) organisations wish to reiterate added value of including European R&I stakeholders in the ERA governance system, especially in both its co-creation and implementation.

Policy initiatives such as the European Research Area and infrastructures such as the European Open Science Cloud include calls for a reform of research assessment, recognition, and reward systems to more strongly reflect Open Science criteria. However, while several frontrunners at national and institutional level are emerging, many universities are reluctant to reform, citing systemic obstacles to changing research assessment. A potential answer to this collective action problem are the alliances funded by the European University Initiative, which are expected to introduce “academic career systems that support and reward researchers who participate in engaging with society and in a culture of sharing the results of their research, in particular by ensuring early sharing and open access to their publications and other research outputs”. The EUTOPIA European University – consisting of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE); University of Warwick (UK), University of Ljubljana (SI); Cergy Paris Universite (FR); University Pompeu Fabra (ES); University of Gothenburg (SE) – is implementing a process to reform research assessment based on the INORMS SCOPE Framework for Research Evaluation. Through deliberation about the purpose and methods employed for research assessment, the alliance will develop an overarching framework for research assessment and draft individual commitments to update the individual assessment systems. The lightning talk will present this change process and the intended impact. The talk seeks to stimulate exchange of experience and collective action across research institutions, universities, university networks and alliances, to accelerate the ‘practical turn’ of research assessment reform and align incentive and reward systems towards Open Science practices.

Science Europe’s Reaction to the Commission Proposal for a Council Recommendation on a Pact for Research and Innovation. The Pact for Research and Innovation must involve research communities and R&I stakeholders in the development and implementation of ERA policies. Their input is essential, as they represent the organisations and bodies that implement the ERA on the ground.

The CALIPER project aims at driving a structural change process and implementing Gender Equality Plans in 7 Research Performing and 2 Research Funding Organizations, involving the highest and middle management levels since the beginning to impact the whole institution. The project goal is to make research organizations more gender equal by increasing the number of female researchers in STEM, improving their careers prospects and integrating a gender dimension in research. The project supports the 7 European RPOs (UZG, STU, ULB, NTUA, IRB, YU, UNILE) and 2 RFOs (SRNSF, UEFIS) of the CALIPER consortium in developing and implementing Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) focusing on an innovative approach based on engaging national and regional innovation ecosystems in the partners’ countries with a quadruple helix approach: the project triggers and makes internal changes and gender equality policies sustainable by orchestrating the core inward auditing/internal assessment and GEPs design with outward actions engaging external stakeholders to activate synergies at all different junctions of the ‘education-research- transfer to market of STEM research results’ chain. The assessment phase in each RPO/RFO is a critical step aimed at identifying and analysing as well as addressing existing gender bias and inequalities at each partner organization and at the local/national innovation ecosystem. This deliverable presents the CALIPER internal and external assessment Gender Audit Methodology guidelines and includes: an overview of the overall gender assessment methodology; a set of specific guidelines on how to perform internal assessment towards the identification of gender bias at the partner RPOs/RFOs; the detailed description of the two main parts of the above methodology: A set of indicators for quantitative assessment The participatory tools and exercises for qualitative assessment; a set of specific guidelines on how to perform the analysis of external framework conditions and of the innovation ecosystem from a gender perspective; a set of guidelines on how to best communicate to internal stakeholders about the CALIPER project and the assessment

Presentation aboutrecent developments in the European CommissionOpen Science policy delivered during the Talk Series on Open Science organised by the Max Planck Digital Library

The 2020 edition of the Science Europe High Level Workshop on ERA was co-hosted with the Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology, and Higher Education. It explored how research and innovation can contribute to crisis recovery and to societal resilience in the context of an evolving research culture.

At the end of 2019, the European Research and Innovation Area Committee (ERAC) adopted a report on a new paradigm of the European Research Area (ERA), proposing new priorities. Around the same time, the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) published its White Paper (WP), presenting the new ambition for research infrastructures in the ERA. Historically, the ERA has been important to the field of research infrastructures (RIs), and vice versa, with the field of RIs often serving as a shining example of the achievements of the ERA. In the light of the newly proposed ERA priorities and the ESFRI WP, which invites the RIs community to address certain actions, the time is ripe for the RIs to consider their response. This is even more important at a time when the Commission is preparing its Communication on the ERA, and the Council its Council Conclusions on the ERA. The aim of the present paper is to examine potential contributions of the RIs to the priorities of the renewed ERA, as proposed by ERAC, and how to fulfil the actions, proposed to the RIs by the ESFRI WP. It is not a review of the contribution of the versatile landscape of the RIs to the ERA, but addresses mainly the potential of RIs that offer open “physical” access of international users to their facilities.&nbsp

Science Europe calls on the leaders of the EU to dedicate increased funding to research and innovation at the 19 June European Council meeting on the EU long-term budget and COVID-19 recovery fund. An increased budget is necessary to meet the ambitious objectives of the European Union for a sustainable, healthy planet, and to ensure the global competitiveness of its research sector. Science Europe also emphasises the need for sustained European leadership in tackling all COVID-19-incurred challenges.

The aim of this ERA thematic dossier is to provide a comprehensive overview of the performance of Austrian enterprises in Horizon 2020, and to derive conclusions for policy makers, stakeholders, and other relevant actors in the field. Thus we always take companies (i.e. so-called PRCs - “Private Commercial”) as the object of consideration. The empirical analyses are based on the most recent available data (03/2019) provided by the European Commission, and in some cases accompanied by data from the FFG and the EUREKA Secretariat. The first part of the analysis focuses on the participation of Austrian companies in Horizon 2020 (Chapter 3). Additionally, a whole chapter is devoted to so-called “close-to-market instruments” (Access to risk finance, PCP-PPI) and the participation of Austrian companies in multilateral partnership initiatives (Eurostars). Another focus is placed on the performance of SMEs in relation to the SME instruments in H2020 (Chapter 4). The performance of Austrian companies within the three pillars (i.e. “Industrial Leadership”, “Excellent Science” and “Societal Challenges”) is discussed in Chapter 5. Comparisons with national programmes (FFG) complete the empirical analysis (Chapter 6). The dossier concludes with a brief overview of the key changes relevant to companies in the upcoming Horizon Europe programme (Chapter 7). The present dossier is a product of the cooperation between EU Performance Monitoring (EU-PM) and European and International Programmes (EIP). It aims to offer a comprehensive overview, just when the Horizon 2020 period is approaching its end.

Science Europe warmly welcomes the strong commitment from Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner-designate for Innovation and Youth, to support excellent research in Europe. Research is essential for Europe to address the societal challenges, and lead the transition to a sustainable and digital economy and society.

The European Research Area currently faces a massive challenge in the form of the psychological distress of researchers at all levels of research. The number of reported cases of stress, isolation, burn-out, depression and other mental disorders are exponentially growing. These symptoms may be exacerbated by increasingly high levels of researcher mobility due to the lower degree of emotional maintenance. Very little has been done to address this issue at local, national and European levels. Currently small, often localized attempts have been taken to aid researchers in distress. The UK-based Vitae network, the work of Trinity College Dublin and small bottom-up European researcher initiatives, such as, the Rumo Platform or TranSkills, are relevant examples of ways to address this challenge. On a global level, the WHO has been advocating for the promotion of good practices within organisations which universities should adopt. In 2016, the Bratislava Declaration of Young Researchers proposed that implementing sustainable career trajectories and flexible research environments would support a healthy work-life balance and reduce stress for Europe's researchers. Most importantly, the implementation of family-friendly policies that encourage a positive work-life balance can improve female participation in research. The organisers of this workshop want to stress the timeliness of this issue, as this psychological epidemic will have a significant effect on the output of European research, risking the European Commission’s objective of putting Europe into a leading position in global research publications. This workshop is being organised with the involvement of major opinion leaders, researchers, service providers, and researcher community representatives affected by and working on the phenomenon of the high levels of mental stress experienced by researchers.

This Thematic Dossier takes a closer look at the budget committed to climate action in Horizon 2020 to date (i.e. calls for proposals in 2014-2017). More importantly, it reviews the thematic areas of climate action and climate change research supported by the work programmes within Horizon 2020, predominantly Pillar 3, “Societal Challenges”. Furthermore, we look at the complementarity of Horizon 2020 funding with related Partnership Initiatives, such as Joint Programming Initiatives (JPI). The observations in this Thematic Dossier are steered by the following guiding questions: To what extent has the Horizon 2020 objective, namely to spend 35% of the total budget on climate action, been achieved? Which national and international research priorities are covered by Horizon 2020? How do Austrian institutions perform in this regard? What recommended courses of action for the relevant work steps at the European and national level can be derived from this stocktaking?

CESAER, EUA, LERU, and Science Europe release this joint statement calling on European policy makers to provide new momentum for the European Research Area (ERA). The ERA is a treaty obligation of the European Union and today, more than ever, greater commitment to research is needed to tackle the challenges that Europe faces. By strengthening the ERA, and increasing funding for research, European policy makers would be giving Europe the resources it needs to embark on another 60 years of peace and prosperity.

This position statement highlights the added value of Joint Programming Initiatives (JPIs) as perceived by Science Europe Member Organisations, and makes two recommendations on the future of joint programming: one with regards to the evaluation of JPIs, and a second one concerning their governance. The aim is to stimulate other stakeholders – including the European Commission – to join in this discussion.

The Roadmap, approved by the Science Europe General Assembly in November 2013, is Science Europe’s action plan to contribute to the elements of a successful research system. It acts as a framework for voluntary collective activity, providing a long-term strategy for the association. The ‘Priority Action Areas’ are those in which Science Europe members believe that there is a potential to achieve tangible and substantive progress, and where they can add real value by working together.

Presentation given at the Berlin Workshop of the project IREER - Industrial Relations for EU Excellence in Research Sectors which took place on 15-16 May 2012.

In the last 10 years, a new way of doing science is spreading in the world thank to the development of virtual research communities across many geographic and administrative boundaries. A virtual research community is a widely dispersed group of researchers and associated scientific instruments working together in a common virtual environment. This new kind of scientific environment, usually addressed as a "collaboratory", is based on the availability of high-speed networks and broadband access, advanced virtual tools and Grid-middleware technologies which, altogether, are the elements of the e-Infrastructures. The European Commission has heavily invested in promoting this new way of collaboration among scientists funding several international projects with the aim of creating e-Infrastructures to enable the European Research Area and connect the European researchers with their colleagues based in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In this paper we describe the actual status of these e-Infrastructures and present a complete picture of the virtual research communities currently using them. Information on the scientific domains and on the applications supported are provided together with their geographic distribution. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

The CALIPER project aims at driving a structural change process and implementing Gender Equality Plans in 7 Research Performing and 2 Research Funding Organizations, involving the highest and middle management levels since the beginning to impact the whole institution. The project goal is to make research organizations more gender equal by increasing the number of female researchers in STEM, improving their careers prospects and integrating a gender dimension in research. The project supports the 7 European RPOs (UZG, STU, ULB, NTUA, IRB, YU, UNILE) and 2 RFOs (SRNSF, UEFIS) of the CALIPER consortium in developing and implementing Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) focusing on an innovative approach based on engaging national and regional innovation ecosystems in the partners’ countries with a quadruple helix approach: the project triggers and makes internal changes and gender equality policies sustainable by orchestrating the core inward auditing/internal assessment and GEPs design with outward actions engaging external stakeholders to activate synergies at all different junctions of the ‘education-research- transfer to market of STEM research results’ chain. The assessment phase in each RPO/RFO is a critical step aimed at identifying and analysing as well as addressing existing gender bias and inequalities at each partner organization and at the local/national innovation ecosystem. This deliverable presents the CALIPER internal and external assessment Gender Audit Methodology guidelines and includes: an overview of the overall gender assessment methodology; a set of specific guidelines on how to perform internal assessment towards the identification of gender bias at the partner RPOs/RFOs; the detailed description of the two main parts of the above methodology: A set of indicators for quantitative assessment The participatory tools and exercises for qualitative assessment; a set of specific guidelines on how to perform the analysis of external framework conditions and of the innovation ecosystem from a gender perspective; a set of guidelines on how to best communicate to internal stakeholders about the CALIPER project and the assessment

The CALIPER project aims at driving a structural change process and implementing Gender Equality Plans in 7 Research Performing and 2 Research Funding Organizations, involving the highest and middle management levels since the beginning to impact the whole institution. The project goal is to make research organizations more gender equal by increasing the number of female researchers in STEM, improving their careers prospects and integrating a gender dimension in research. The project supports the 7 European RPOs (UZG, STU, ULB, NTUA, IRB, YU, UNILE) and 2 RFOs (SRNSF, UEFIS) of the CALIPER consortium in developing and implementing Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) focusing on an innovative approach based on engaging national and regional innovation ecosystems in the partners’ countries with a quadruple helix approach: the project triggers and makes internal changes and gender equality policies sustainable by orchestrating the core inward auditing/internal assessment and GEPs design with outward actions engaging external stakeholders to activate synergies at all different junctions of the ‘education-research- transfer to market of STEM research results’ chain. The assessment phase in each RPO/RFO is a critical step aimed at identifying and analysing as well as addressing existing gender bias and inequalities at each partner organization and at the local/national innovation ecosystem. This deliverable presents the CALIPER internal and external assessment Gender Audit Methodology guidelines and includes: an overview of the overall gender assessment methodology; a set of specific guidelines on how to perform internal assessment towards the identification of gender bias at the partner RPOs/RFOs; the detailed description of the two main parts of the above methodology: A set of indicators for quantitative assessment The participatory tools and exercises for qualitative assessment; a set of specific guidelines on how to perform the analysis of external framework conditions and of the innovation ecosystem from a gender perspective; a set of guidelines on how to best communicate to internal stakeholders about the CALIPER project and the assessment