Case Study: MaREI

By SalM on July 16, 2020 in News Articles

Marine Renewable Energy Ireland (MaREI, UCC) is a centre for renewable energy research, development and innovation centre. The centre has the expertise of a wide range of research groups and industry partners, with the shared missions of solving the main scientific, technical and socio-economic challenges across the marine and energy spaces.

MaREI has over 30 years of experience leading and participating in National, European and International research projects, and a track record of successfully delivering over two hundred commercial contracts with small to medium enterprises and multinational corporations. LIR National Ocean Test Facility houses facilities for wave simulation with a Large Survival Wave Flume and an Ocean Wave Basin together with hardware in the loop electrical rotary and linear PTO test facilities as well as materials testing equipment. The Centre has extensive experience of instrumentation and data acquisition at a number of scales from tank tests through to full scale deployment, and the own supercomputing facilities as well as suites of numerical modelling packages, both industry standard and bespoke. UCC sit on several IEC standards committees for Ocean Energy at national and international level, are Alternate Delegate to the IEA OES for Ireland and are co-founding member of The European Ocean Energy Association.

MaREI is also the coordinating partner of GRRIP Project. Thus, the activities of GRRIP have a particular importance, not only to ensure the successful implementation of the project, but also the further embedding of RRI practices at the centre and transfer of knowledge from its RRI related projects (e.g. the RRING project, www.rring.eu). Both RRING and GRRIP are led by Gordon Dalton, who was also the coordinator of the awarded BG5 Maribe project: Marine Investment in the Blue Economy.

For more informations on what MaREI does follow this link

India and the World today: Virtual Workshop

By SalM on July 15, 2020 in News Articles

Introduction

While science and innovation have been transformative forces with large positive impacts on human welfare and well-being, the existence of a gap between science and the society has increasingly been witnessed. A step to address this gap has been the promotion of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). This approach towards research and innovation (R&I) pushes for collaborative efforts between the societal actors (researchers, citizens, policy makers, business, etc.). It aims at better aligning both the research process and its outcomes with the values, needs and expectations of the society. With the aim of bringing RRI into the global world to promote mutual learning and collaboration, the Responsible Research and Innovation Networking Globally (RRING) Project, funded by the European Union under its Horizon 2020 programme, was launched in 2018.

The aim of the RRING project is to bring Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) into the global world to promote mutual learning and collaboration. This will be achieved by the formation of the global RRING community network and by the development and mobilization of a global Open Access RRI knowledge base. RRING will align RRI to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a global common denominator.

With the acknowledgement that each region of the world is advancing its own agenda on RRI, RRING recognises the need for a bottom-up approach and has thus collaborated with local organisations in different countries. In India, RRING is collaborating with Participatory Research In Asia (PRIA) to further their mission of learning about different local practices and creating a global RRI network.

About the organizer – PRIA

PRIA has almost four decades of experience in engaging with academia in a multitude of interventions, bringing community and practitioner knowledge into the portals of traditional research institutions and processes. It believes in knowledge mobilization and advocacy using participatory research methodology. It emphasizes on the need to integrate scientific research with local knowledge.

PRIA also hosts the UNESCO Chair in Community-Based Research & Social Responsibility in Higher Education. The UNESCO Chair has worked to foster social responsibility in higher education and supports partnerships that build on and enhance the emerging consensus in knowledge democracy. A recent initiative by the Chairs, Dr. Rajesh Tandon (Founder-President, PRIA) & Dr. Budd Hall (University of Victoria), addresses the need for Open Science.

Key Messages

• While one witnesses an attitudinal acceptance of the RRI principles amongst the Indian stakeholders, this fails to translate into everyday practice. This depicts both a gap as well as an opportunity to improve. One needs to bridge this gap between the normative acceptance and practice through both a change in government policies as well as changes in the organisational framework- be it in the hiring criteria or the tools & methods utilised. The step to becoming more responsible must be initiated on both fronts.
• The current pandemic has demonstrated the importance of building long-term bonds of social trust between the world of science and the community. In absence of this bond of trust, one would find it difficult to overcome any form of crisis- be it a pandemic or a natural disaster.
• There is a need for all stakeholders- be it Research Performing Organisations (RPOs), Research Funding Organisations (RFOs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) or academicians to engage in the formulation of policies. Efforts must be made to scrutinize draft policies and raise questions. It is through this practice that one can move towards a more open and responsive science in India.

Read more about this event on this following link

Case Study: Marine Research, Swansea University

By SalM on July 14, 2020 in News Articles

Swansea University is a research-led university founded in 1920. It has two campuses situated directly at the stunning waterfront of Swansea Bay at the South Wales (UK) coast. The location is perfect for coastal and marine research. Topics range from marine renewable energy to habitat restoration and algae cultivation.

During the past decade, marine research has been increasingly international and integrated in wider European programs, for example, ECOSTRUCTURE, which develops biodiversity enhancing infrastructure concepts or MARIBE, assessing opportunities for combining Blue Growth and Blue Economy. There is close collaboration between the Colleges of Science and Engineering. Swansea’s GRRIP lead Dr. Ruth Callaway (Biosciences, College of Science) recently published a study in collaboration with colleagues from Engineering, where they joined detailed wave and tidal current models with empirical ecological information. Much of the ongoing research aspires to help the commercial marine and coastal sector in Wales, for example, the €17m partnership program SEACAMS2.

The participation of Swansea University in GRRIP is timely since scientists increasingly collaborate with institutions outside academia. The university acknowledges its reliance on partners in industry, government and the wider society. It is also committed to RRI objectives, such as a rigorous ethics procedure and gender equality; Ruth Callaway is the co-chair of the departmental AthenaSwan group. While some progress has been made during the past years towards RRI objectives, this was not always evidenced and is difficult to quantify. There is also no systematic strategy towards an RRI agenda. The motivation for Swansea University to participate in GRRIP is to assist in the development of tools for a more unified, practical approach towards RRI goals.

Introducing the five Marine and Maritime Institutions – IUML

By SalM on July 13, 2020 in News Articles

• (a) Marine bioprocesses and Bioresources: characterization and development of marine resources (microalgae, bacteria, bivalve, etc.) in a wide variety of sectors: cosmetics, food nutrition, energy, health
• (b) Offshore Platforms, Ship of the future, Marine Renewable Energies: from the physical characterization of maritime structures (port quay, offshore wind, ships, platforms, etc.) to the monitoring and management of risks and costs.
• (c) Biodiversity, Health and Coastal environment: analysis of marine biodiversity and understanding of the metabolic potential for human, animal or environmental health, impact of human activities on marine ecosystems, monitoring of pollution and risks on human health.
• (d) Blue growth, Governance of Maritime Area: historical, spatial, economic, legal and social characterization of maritime activities in order to manage uses in the maritime area.

As presented the IUML is making its best to tackle society challenges and being connected to its territory. However, the GRRIP project is relevant because of it gives to the institution the opportunity to analyse and improve our methodology and tools.

GRACE: Grounding RRI Actions to Achieve Institutional Changes

By SalM on July 9, 2020 in News Articles

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is the on-going process of aligning research and innovation to the values, needs and expectations of society, while ensuring that they deliver on the promise of smart, inclusive and sustainable solutions to our societal challenges. Building capacity for RRI and implementing institutional changes that foster RRI is an imperative need addressed years ago and specifically expressed at the Rome Declaration on Responsible Research and Innovation in Europe.

Responding to this need, the GRACE project aims to contribute to the effort of spreading and embedding RRI in the European Research Area. The project is funded through the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme, running from January 2019 until December 2021.

GRACE: Grounding RRI Actions to Achieve Institutional Changes in European Research Funding and Performing Organisations

The GRACE consortium is led by the European Science Foundation, France, reinforced by 10 institutions in 8 European countries, with a network of affiliated projects in the RRI domain.

GRACE pursues to achieve a cluster of well-defined institutional changes in six Research Funding and Performing Organisations (RFPOs) based on the implementation of a set of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound) Grounding Actions (GAs), with visible short-term impacts during the timespan of GRACE. More than that, the project foresees roadmaps towards RRI for each RFPO in the consortium for the attainment of further and more complex institutional changes in the medium- and long-term period. GRACE builds on a combination of highly experienced partners and dynamic implementing organisations to develop a mutual learning process in a co-creation environment which will lead to a solid approach for enabling rapid institutional change for both the consortium members and for further exploitation.

Having concluded a preparatory phase, which allowed partners to self-assess their organisations in the light of RRI and its keys (gender equality, ethics, open access, public engagement, science education, governance) and define the Grounding Actions (GAs) for their Roadmap towards RRI (e.g. new organizational structures, rules, action plans, trainings etc.), GRACE has now set engines in full motion for the implementation of these actions.

Based on a mutual learning environment and built around a well-structured Mentoring and Monitoring Meetings (MMM) Framework, GRACE’s RRI expert organisations embark on numerous bilateral meeting sessions with implementing organisations, assisting them in materializing the Grounding Actions that they have opted for. During these meetings expert organisations provide guidance to implementing organisations on devising viable and effective action plans, assistance in developing specific skills for performing the required activities and on top of that continuous assessment on the progress made on the implementation of Grounding Actions by each implementing organisation.

The Mentoring and Monitoring Meetings are still in their early stage and will span till the end of the project. Nevertheless, both experts and implementing organizations already acknowledge the value, usefulness and efficiency of the meetings in accelerating and catalysing processes of institutional change.

For more information see: grace-rri.eu

Introducing the Five Marine and Maritime Institutions: Plocan

By SalM on July 6, 2020 in News Articles

The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) is a multipurpose service centre with land-based and novel sea-based infrastructures to support research, technology development and innovation in the marine and maritime sectors. Its mission is to promote long-term observation and sustainability of the ocean, providing a cost-effective combination of services, such as an ocean observatory, a marine test site, a base for underwater vehicles, training and an innovation hub. PLOCAN is a joint initiative of the Spanish and the Canary Islands governments, with the contribution of the European Regional Development Fund, and is included in the Spanish Map of Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructures (ICTS). Its main objective is the construction and operation of a fixed offshore platform that is located both close to the coast and near the edge of the continental shelf.

In addition, PLOCAN is configured as a Test Site where projects focused on testing and demonstrating of all kinds of marine devices are performed. The Test Site also covers the coastal component of the PLOCAN observatory, which is complemented by:

(a) The European Station for Time series in the Ocean, Canary Islands (ESTOC): a multidisciplinary mooring located in open ocean in the Central Eastern Atlantic at 29º10’N, 15º30’W with over 25 years of continuous surface and mid-water meteorological, physical and biogeochemical monitoring.

(b) A mobile observing system comprising a fleet of underwater and surface gliders and ROVs able to cover missions for long periods in coastal and open ocean areas.

As for training, PLOCAN organises high specialisation training courses with the aim to provide knowledge and practical skills in the use of facilities and devices for working in and accessing the deep ocean.

PLOCAN’s staff and management team have extensive experience in the preparation, implementation and management of large projects in the marine and maritime sectors. Since 2009 they have participated in more than 80 national and EU funded projects both as coordinators and partners.

PLOCAN is convinced that, through the GRRIP project, we will be able to implement several improvements in our organization regarding the 5 RRI keys (gender balance, open access, ethics, science education and public engagement) and, thus, contribute to the achievement of the SDG´s and our own strategic plan. Leveraging on GRRIP audit process we will be able to define a number of institutional changes as major actions required in policy, processes and key roles to implement a specific RRI interventions/goals and implement them following a customized RRI action plan for PLOCAN.

SoA of RRI Action Plans and Quadruple Helix dialogue

By SalM on June 9, 2020 in News Articles

One of the tasks of the GRRIP project is to learn from and extend the findings, tools, and results from previous H2020 and other EU projects, as well as to adapt or update what is available to meet the needs of the GRRIP project. Therefore, to ensure maximum use of the State-of-Art (SoA) in preparation for the phases of the Action Plan (AP) and in establishing the Quadruple Helix (QH) platform, GRRIP is conducting desk research of the literature from the selected projects. This will include the project deliverables covering Audit, AP, QH engagement and other relevant areas. This work began by drawing upon existing work to the extent feasible, including that of the Compass project Deliverable 1.4 to be used extensively as a starting point for review of RRI-related projects. After this, the most relevant projects were selected to follow up to seek further information to gain a better understanding of key issues and lessons learned from the perspective of stakeholders involved in these projects. These issues and lessons learned were gathered using a brief questionnaire. This work will be provided in April in three deliverables so keep a lookout on the project website and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter to kept up to date on these developments.

Quadruple Helix Engagement

The GRRIP project has spent considerable effort identifying the different types of stakeholders with a potential interest in GRRIP for each of the RPO&PFO case studies, contacting them with information about the project’s objectives, the benefits of participation and the types of activities they can get involved with. The aim was to have a balanced participation from industry, academia, civil society and policy related stakeholders for each case study organization. The list of QH participants will be finalised and the QH platform ready by the end of March.

In the future, the QH will be involved in case studies of real R&I activity from agenda-setting, to co-production of research and innovation content, or peer review in funding agencies, for example.

RRI Action Plan Creation

By SalM on May 9, 2020 in News Articles

Following the audits, GRRIP will be designing and delivering a self-tailored Action Plan (AP) for each RPO&RFO, comprising a comprehensive list of institutional and cultural interventions and methods to overcome the identified barriers and challenges from the audit.

It will also include appropriate communication, education and training as well as real engagement with the RPO&RFO at all levels and with the QH to ensure the AP is feasible and effective and further to win the support of those parties during the later phases. Further, it will incorporate a risk mitigation plan and proposed indicator and monitoring systems that will be tested in a trial of the action plan. Currently the AP templates are being developed.

Mutual Learning

By SalM on April 29, 2020 in News Articles

Work Package (WP) 8, RRI Mutual Learning, Monitoring, Reflection and Evaluation, is delivered by Erasmus University Rotterdam. The WP covers monitoring, evaluation and mutual learning in GRRIP. WP8 is still in a preparatory stage. In 2019-20 we have been working with our five marine and maritime organisations to understand their starting mission and ethos as organisations and their values as scientists and innovators.

This is a starting point for audit processes, together with our partners in WP5 (Audit), which seek to understand the current organisational practice of RRI so far, and how staff in organisations experience RRI on ‘the shop floor’.

In 2020-21 WP8 will facilitate audit via a set of mutual learning workshops. The first QH virtual mutual learning workshops will take place in May

RPO&RFO Working Groups Set-up, Audit and Impact…

By SalM on March 9, 2020 in News Articles

These activities aim to establish the current RRI maturity level of each RPO&RFO as well as the barriers to institutional change. This means identifying and understanding the institutions’ RRI related policies and processes including mapping roles. In particular, it involves understanding actual practice and culture. Further, it involves assessing current interactions with the QH.

RPO&RFO Working Groups Set-up, Audit and Impact Assessment

Thus drawing on the State of Art, GRRIP has been adapting and tailoring existing templates to define an Audit plan for each RPO&RFO. This audit plan will report on each of the 5 keys (QH/CSO engagement, Gender, Ethics, Open Access and Science education). It will be split in two stages consisting of background research followed by interviews and surveys. This will allow comparison of actual practice with existing policy as well as explore awareness and attitudes to RRI. It will also help to identify barriers as well as prioritise and propose solutions.

To implement the audit process, GRRIP has established working groups at each of the case study institutions drawn from senior and middle management as well as including researcher representatives. The audits will be completed by the end of April.