The Responsible Innovation Summit 2020

By SalM on October 11, 2020 in News Articles

In the 20^th and 21^st of October, Dublin will be the (virtual) capital of Responsible Innovation in Europe. The 2020 edition of the Responsible Innovation Summit hosts more than 250 high-impact delegates in the vibrant field of Responsible Innovation.

We have invited three guests to this week’s Responsible Innovation Story:

• Szilvia Szabo, Founder of Dublin-based consultancy “The Impacter” and organizer of the Responsible Innovation Summit. This virtual event
• Mary Mac Sweeney, Deputy Head of Enterprise and Economic Development at Dublin City Council and
• Norman Thompson, Economic Development Researcher at Dublin City Council, have both strongly supported the Responsible Innovation Summit from its beginning in 2017.

Organizer Szilvia Szabo:

“The main mission of the Responsible Innovation Summit is to unite leaders and put things into action.”

This year’s edition aims to inspire actors from business, research and policy to build back better in the aftermath of the pandemic.

“Long-term strategies are often not that actionable. Now with the pandemic we have a clean slate and can make things better.”

Join the Leaders of Change and help to build back better.

Enjoy watching the full interview wit Szilvia Szabo, Mary Mac Sweeney and Norman Thompson at https://youtu.be/K7IjyxUKit8!

Click on the time stamps to watch the respective speaker:

01:09 Szilvia Szabo on using virtual events to find a common language of Responsible Innovation

07:39 Mary Mac Sweeney on systemic change in Responsible Innovation

14:44 Norman Thompson on the vital role of collaboration in Responsible Innovation

This article has been taken from the LivingInnovation website. Please follow the link to the original source of this article

https://www.living-innovation.net/news/article?id=182&title=the-responsible-innovation-summit-2020

The Gender Gap in Science, How to Measure it, How to Reduce it?

By SalM on October 9, 2020 in News Articles

What is meant by gender gap?

The gender gap is the difference between women and men “in terms of their levels of participation, access, rights, remuneration or benefits” . It is usually analyzed and measured through various specific indicators. The Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI), for instance, aims to measure this gap in four key areas: health, education, economics and politics. The Global Gender Gap Report is published annually by the World Economic Forum since 2006 and ranks countries according to the value of their GGGI.

What about the gender gap in science?

According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) fewer than 30% of the world’s researchers are women, which reflects a clear gender gap in science. But to truly understand and reduce the gender gap, it is necessary to go beyond these numbers and identify the various factors that deter women from pursuing careers or succeeding in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

What distinguishes your project from the numerous other projects or publications addressing the gender gap in science?

Indeed, there is intensive research on the gender gap in science and a lot of literature has already been published.

Our project is distinct from prior works in several ways. First, its scope is global rather than restricted to a specific part of the world. It is also multidisciplinary rather than restricted to one discipline. Another specificity is that, though it will result in several research publications, and the bulk of the work has been done by professionals, the project leaders are a combination of scientists and specialists of gender gap related issues.

What happened within the project?

The project A Global Approach to the Gender Gap in Mathematical, Computing, and Natural Sciences: How to measure it? How to reduce it? in short Gender Gap in Science project has taken place from 2017 to 2019.

It contributed to the analysis of the Gender Gap in Science from three complementary perspectives:

• The Global Survey of Scientists addresses issues related to missing role models, feelings of critical exclusion, harassment, or low participation and retention rates. See part 2/9 (to be published 14/10/2020) and part 3/9.
• The Study of Publication Patterns provides insights on the proportion of women as research authors or the presence of women publishing in renowned journals. See part 4/9 and part 5/9 .
• The Database of Good Practices introduces a conceptual framework to analyze them, in order to provide evidence of effectiveness and impact. See part 6/9 (to be published 11/11/2020).

What are the recommendations of the Gender Gap in Science project?

There are recommendations based on the findings of the project and from discussions held within the network created around the project.

• They are intended for instructors and parents, who have an important role to play in changing societal perceptions and stereotypes towards women in science and in engaging girls in primary, secondary, and higher education. See part 7/9 (to be published 18/11/2020).
• There are also recommendations for scientific or educational organizations of all kinds, since these are the places where scientific life takes place daily. See also part 7/9.
• There are finally recommendations for Scientific Unions and other worldwide organizations, in particular the unions members of the project. By Unions we mean worldwide members of the International Science Council, in particular those that are members of our project. See part 8/9 (to be published 25/11/2020).

Who funded the project and what were its partners?

It was mainly funded by the International Science Council (ISC). Its partners also contributed to the budget.

Eleven organizations have joined their efforts. Seven of these are union members of the International Science Council: namely the International Mathematical Union (IMU) through its Committee for Women in Mathematics (leader); the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) (coleader); the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP); the International Astronomical Union (IAU); the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS); the International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM); and the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IUHPST). The other four organizations are the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), through its project STEM and Gender Advancement (SAGA); Gender in Science, Innovation, Technology and Engineering (GenderInSITE); the Organization of Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD); and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), through ACM-W.

This article was taken from the IYBSSD2022 website. Please follow the link posted below to get more informations

The gender gap in science, how to measure it, how to reduce it? 1/9

Can the Ocean Fix Our Broken Food Systems?

By SalM on October 8, 2020 in News Articles

With animal husbandry responsible for more greenhouse gases than all the world’s transport systems combined, the food production industry is a key contributor to the climate emergency. As populations continue to expand, and with demand for animal-based food projected to grow by 70% by 2050, we need to rethink current food systems to ensure they deliver accessible, healthy diets and are sustainable for the planet.

The ocean covers 70% of our planet, yet only 7% is used for food production. While the ocean offers huge potential, we must be conscious that 93% of wild fisheries are already “fully” or “over-”fished, according to estimates by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. We cannot continue to use these resources at the scale we have so far. Fish farming offers an opportunity to better use the ocean for food production while alleviating pressure on fisheries.

Aquaculture, and specifically farmed salmon—one of the most consumed fish worldwide—can help meet the growing demand for sustainable and healthy foods. Salmon is a nutrient-rich food that provides many health benefits to consumers. It is high in omega-3 fatty acids, minerals and vitamins, which can help reduce the risk of many cardiovascular diseases. What is less known is that responsibly farmed salmon is also one of the most resource-efficient animal proteins, requiring less land, fresh water, food and energy to produce. This powerful combination of strong nutritional and environmental profiles means that farmed salmon should be an important part of future healthy and sustainable food systems and diets.

However, like any food-production sector, the salmon-farming industry has faced challenges—from the use of marine ingredients in feed, to managing escapes and possible sea-lice outbreaks—which must be effectively addressed to ensure long-term responsible and sustainable operations.

And while significant progress has been made in recent years, there is still more to be done to improve the environmental performance of fish farming. To support this mission, the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI) was established in 2013 to accelerate improvements at speed and scale that will ensure salmon farming continues to offer nutritious and planet-friendly food. GSI’s members use collective problem-solving to drive sustainability improvements across the entire global industry.

Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – No Hunger: GRRIP Project is working to improve fundamental research through the implementation of RRI contributes to marine food security and sustainability.

This article was taken from the World Ocean Initiative website. To read the full article on the original source written and prepared by Sophie Ryan please follow the link posted below

https://www.woi.economist.com/can-the-ocean-fix-our-broken-food-systems/

Adapting to climate change a test to tackle societal issues

By SalM on October 7, 2020 in News Articles

The new research mission taking up the challenge of adapting to climate change will be a test of whether the EU can tackle societal issues head on, says the chair of the mission board and former EU climate commissioner, Connie Hedegaard.

“This is a test. If the institutions are serious about this, it requires some substantial structure to deliver it. Otherwise, it would just be some project, which is not something that we need now,” Hedegaard told Science|Business.

Adapting to climate change is one of the EU’s five research moonshots, a new type of programme aiming to address specific and pressing problems, that are due to get off the ground in 2021.

While the mission on adapting to climate change sets a specific objective, many strands of research and much work on implementation, are needed to meet it.  A year ago, the European Commission asked 15 experts, headed by Hedegaard, to come up with a route map for the mission, setting out how to ensure food chains, buildings, transport and governance systems can be made resilient in the face of changing climate, and to prepare for future climate disasters, such as forest fires and droughts.

The board suggests a three-pronged approach, assisting communities and regions in understanding, preparing and managing climate risks; selecting and supporting 200 communities and regions to set targets and plot how to reach them; and scaling up 100 demonstrators of resilience across Europe.

Demonstrators in one region can inform another region that is struggling with the same problem, but in order for the knowledge transfer to happen, there must be moves to systematically share data. This is an area where Europe still has a lot of learning to do, says Hedegaard.

Similarly, at a community level, companies, public institutions and researchers have to learn to share knowledge. “We have most of the solutions, but somehow the knowledge and the solutions out there, are out of sync,” said Hedegaard. “[The mission] is about seeing how we can bring these projects more in sync.”

To succeed, the mission needs clear structures in place, with all 200 regions and partner communities establishing local governance platforms through which they can systematically deliver change.

Each region must devise a way of enabling knowledge sharing, enabling different public and private players to set out their pitches for participating in the mission. These pitches will have to encompass each region’s local climate change challenges and specify innovations needed to help address them.

To kick start the process, Hedegaard says the commission should select the 200 participating regions in the next six months.

Regions will not be left on their own to deliver the changes. Rather, the board proposes the mission should provide horizontal support through communities of practice, which bring together experts, industry, and other organisations to foster innovation.

The commission will need to translate the ideas coming from these platforms into calls for research under Horizon Europe, says Hedegaard. All of this will require substantial structures to be in place.

Citizen engagement will play a crucial role, with the moonshot putting emphasis on getting people to act as local innovators and respond to local challenges. This is something the commission is very ambitious about, Hedegaard said, though she strikes a sceptical note, “To be frank, that sounds really nice, but how to do it? How to make real interactive solutions, where people not only feel included, but are included?”

Each region will be required to set out how it is hoped to engage their citizens with the mission.

Citizen engagement will also play a role in behaviour change, another important aspect of the mission. For Hedegaard, Europe is great at dealing with climate issues from the perspective of natural sciences, technology and the economics, but it is not fostering the behaviour change needed to adapt to the changing climate.

She wants research in behavioural sciences to inform the mission and the regions involved on how to make changes and convince citizens to follow them.

“If [the mission] succeeds, we will have all our municipalities, regions and citizens working consciously with adaption to climate change,” Hedegaard said.

The plans for the mission are set out in the board’s report, handed to the European Commission two weeks ago. Now, the commission will have to assess the plans, assign a budget, instruments, and, Hedegaard notes, formally decide to adopt the mission by December.

Although due to start in 2021, it could take a few years before the mission is active on the ground, if the EU institutions fail to show ambition. That is something we do not have the time for, says Hedegaard.

This article was taken from the ScienceBusiness Website. Please click on the link below to get to the original source of this article

https://sciencebusiness.net/news/eu-moonshot-adapting-climate-change-requires-structural-investment-and-citizen-engagement

Success Stories of Scientific Crowdsourcing

By SalM on October 6, 2020 in News Articles

In her role as Associate Professor of Innovation Management at Copenhagen Business School and Scientific Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft’s Open Innovation in Science Center in Vienna, she has an extensive record of accomplishment in both Open and Responsible Innovation. For Marion Pötz, cutting-edge research institutions and competitive companies need more collaborative approaches now more than ever.

“One player alone cannot tackle the complex challenges of the 21^st century. We need collaborative action.”

Our most important insights from this interview with Marion Pötz:

• More collaborative forms of innovation are on the rise in both the public and the private sphere.
• However, to harness the full potential of open innovation processes, we need to establish a trustworthy and respectful stakeholder process.
• Digital technologies can help us to hear the voices of all stakeholders involved and to see the real-life impacts we jointly create.

Enjoy watching the full interview at https://youtu.be/-lR1r6rjGiY!

Click on the time stamps to watch the respective topics:

00:00 Responsible Innovation to Solve Societal Problems

02:11 Upstream Engagement with Stakeholders

03:56 Challenges and Opportunities for Responsible Business

04:55 Crowdsourcing in the Mental Health Field

06:24 Secret Ingredients to Successful Crowdsourcing

08:16 A Trustworthy Online Environment

09:48 Expertise by Experience

11:19 AI to Measure Research Impacts on Society

12:21 Ecosystems of Open Innovation

This interview was conducted and published by the LivingInnovation. Follow the link to the original source posted below

https://www.living-innovation.net/news/article?id=179&title=success-stories-of-scientific-crowdsourcing

Science and Innovation as the Way Out of the Crisis

By SalM on October 4, 2020 in News Articles

In 2014, the European Commission awarded a €2 million prize to an unknown German biopharmaceutical company called CureVac. At the time, the award was a way to help the company pursue a completely new approach to vaccine development. This approach was very risky and so only public money could help.

One year later, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation invested in the company, which later became a multi-billion euro unicorn. Ingmar Hoerr, founder and CEO, always recalls that without the EU funding his journey would have been very different.

Fast-forward to 2020: CureVac’s pioneering efforts on a COVID-19 vaccine mean that right now the company is busy developing some of the most significant, valuable technologies of our lifetimes. Pending safe and effective trial outcomes, the EU is in preliminary talks with CureVac to purchase more than 400 million COVID-19 vaccine doses.

EU investments in research, innovation and science have time and again proven to be prescient and transformative. The problem is that we are very bad at telling our stories.

While not every investment is as resounding a success as the grant to CureVac (you need to tolerate failure to boost innovation) it simply makes sense to do everything in our power to support the researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs whose work and ingenuity helps make the world a better, healthier and more prosperous place.

Prior to coronavirus, consensus was building in Brussels and in capitals across the continent that it was time to increase the budget of Horizon Europe, the EU’s main funding vehicle for research and innovation (R&I). For that reason, we are very proud that, back in 2019, the European Commission proposed to allocate 100 billion euro to Horizon Europe for the period 2021-2027.

This week, as the European Council of 27 heads of state and governments meets for a special session, we have a question: Why on earth does the European Council want to slash Horizon Europe’s budget to 90.9 billion?

This U-turn is a terrible idea. We are all adjusting to completely new ways to work, attend school, shop for groceries and spend our leisure time, not to mention find a cure for a virus that this time last year did not exist.

Combine this slightly terrifying real-time global pandemic response experiment with the worrisome fact that struggling private-sector businesses are cutting their own research budgets, and over the past few months the need for more public funding for R&I has become more, not less urgent.

Along the years, we have worked closely with the women and men in universities, businesses and government whose vision and dedication form the foundation of Europe’s unparalleled innovation ecosystem.

Whether the vaccine comes from CureVac or any number of similar efforts currently underway, we have faith in Europe’s scientists and innovators. But even after we vanquish the disease, another long-term threat to our wellbeing remains – climate change.

Two weeks ago, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reiterated in her State of the European Union address the importance of a green, digital economy that can help “propel ourselves forwards to the world of tomorrow”.

She proposed that the EU increases its greenhouse gas emission-reduction target to 55% below 1990 levels within a decade.

This is a laudable, necessary goal. It helps put us on the path to climate neutrality by 2050, the basis of the European Green Deal. The increased target is also a tacit acknowledgement of mounting public support for climate action.

Last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to make China carbon neutral by 2060. Last Friday across Europe and the world, we saw another major global climate protest led by Greta Thunberg and her peers.

Yet without more research and innovation, the promise of the European Green Deal is certain to remain unfulfilled, the pleas from our children and grandchildren unheeded.

According to the International Energy Agency, even if we deploy all the technologies currently available to us (solar, wind, energy efficiency, etc.), we still won’t be able to achieve the emission reductions we know we need to reduce climate change-related risks from wildfires, droughts, massive storms and melting glaciers.

President von der Leyen has wisely endorsed putting 30% of EU funds toward various climate programmes. Similarly, she wants to ensure about 37% of EU economic recovery funds help meet Green Deal goals.

Since much of these funds will go directly to member states, national governments must live up to their own end of the bargain. They must ensure their own recovery programs help deliver on urgent EU priorities like the Green Deal.

Let’s be clear: From a global pandemic ravaging our public health, to member state economies on the brink, to the rolling catastrophe that is climate change, the challenges we face are daunting.

When the EU increases funding for R&I, it essentially signals confidence in its own ability to meet these challenges. But what if the EU does not deliver? People will grow more cynical, convinced the EU is neither up to the task nor worthy of their support.

This is something we cannot afford. As Jeremy Farrar, the CEO of the Welcome Trust, recently said: the only reasonable way out of this pandemic is science. We would go a step further and say that the only plausible exit strategy for our current global challenges is Science and Innovation.

This article was taken from the EurActiv website and it was written by Pascal Lamy and Carlos Moedas. Click on the link below to read the article on the original source

Science and Innovation as the way out of the crisis

New plan to support green and digital transition – EU recovery

By SalM on October 1, 2020 in News Articles

Yesterday, the European Commission adopted a Communication on a new European Research Area for Research and Innovation. Based on excellence, competitive, open and talent-driven, the new European Research Area will improve Europe’s research and innovation landscape, accelerate the EU’s transition towards climate neutrality and digital leadership,  support its recovery from the societal and economic impact of the coronavirus crisis, and strengthen its resilience against future crises.

The Commission set out strategic objectives and actions to be implemented in close cooperation with the Member States, in order to prioritise investments and reforms in research and innovation, improve access to excellence for researchers across the EU and enable research results to reach the market and the real economy. Additionally, the Communication will further promote researchers’ mobility, skills and career development opportunities within the EU, gender equality, as well as better access to publicly funded peer-reviewed science.

Executive Vice-President for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age, Margrethe Vestager, said: “The EU is already leading innovation through its research and scientific excellence. We want to build on that and step up our efforts towards achieving breakthrough market-driven innovations that will contribute to a green digital Europe and will boost growth, job creation and our competiveness in the global scene. Today we are setting a new ambition for a European Research Area to facilitate cooperation and contribute to a more competitive European industry.”

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “We live in times when scientific activities require faster and effective collaborations. We need to strengthen the European Research Area. An area embracing all of Europe, because knowledge has no territorial boundaries, because scientific knowledge grows with collaborations, because knowledge is trusted if there is open scrutiny of its quality. It has also more chances to achieve peaks of excellence and support an innovative and risk taking industry to shape a resilient, green and digital future.”

Launched in 2000, the European Research Area has made major achievements over the past years – yet, today’s context prompts us to rethink how to strengthen its role, better define and implement its key objectives, as well as make it more attractive as a common space for creating valuable research and innovation. Moreover, Europe is currently facing significant societal, ecological and economic challenges that are aggravated by the coronavirus crisis. Research and innovation is therefore crucial in addressing these challenges, delivering on Europe’s recovery and speeding up the twin green and digital transitions.

Objectives of the new European Research Area

Building on Europe’s innovation leadership and scientific excellence, the new European Research Area aims to incentivise better coordination and cooperation among the EU, its Member States and the private sector; lead to more investments in research and innovation; strengthen mobility of researchers, their expertise, and the flow of knowledge;

The Communication defines four strategic objectives:

1. Prioritise investments and reforms in research and innovation towards the green and digital transition, to support Europe’s recovery and increase competitiveness.

EU support towards research and innovation is foreseen through various programmes, such as the Horizon Europe, the Cohesion policy, and the Next Generation EU. To bring about the required positive change and ensure quality of results, EU support must be complemented by investments from Member States and the private sector. The Communication reaffirms the target of 3% of GDP to be invested on EU research and innovation and prompts further cooperation among Member states, and alignment of national efforts, by setting a target of 5% of national public funding to joint research and development programmes and European partnerships, by 2030.

The principle of excellence, which entails that the best researchers with the best ideas can obtain funding, remains the cornerstone for all investments under the European Research area.

2. Improve access to excellent facilities and infrastructures for researchers across the EU.

Member States’ research and innovation investment remains uneven, which translates into gaps in scientific excellence and innovation output that need to be bridged. The EU already supports lagging countries, including with tailor-made support on the ground, and Horizon Europe will further ensure so, through enhanced collaborations with more experienced counterparts, in order to improve access to excellence. The Commission proposes that Member States, lagging behind the EU average research and innovation investment over GDP, direct their efforts to increase their investments by 50% in the next 5 years.

To this end, mobility opportunities for researchers to access excellence and expand their experience will be created through dedicated training and mobility schemes between industry and academia. In order to reflect the progress towards research based on excellence, Member States lagging behind the EU average on highly cited publications should reduce the gap to the EU average by at least one third in the next 5 years.

3. Transfer results to the economy to boost business investments and market uptake of research output, as well as foster EU competitiveness and leadership in the global technological setting.

In view of speeding up the transfer of research results into the real economy and supporting the implementation of the new Industrial Strategy, the Commission will encourage and guide the development of common technology plans with industry that will allow crowding in more private investments in key international projects. This will foster the development of competitive technologies in key strategic areas, while securing a stronger European presence in the global scene.

In parallel, following a detailed monitoring exercise, the Commission will explore the possibility of developing a networking framework that will build on existing entities and capacities, such as centres of excellence or Digital Innovation Hubs, to facilitate collaboration and exchange of best practices by 2022. Still in this two-year framework, the Commission will update and develop guiding principles, which will ensure that innovation can be valorised and rewarded, as well as a code of practice for the smart use of intellectual property, to ensure access to effective and affordable intellectual property protection.

4. Strengthen mobility of researchers and free flow of knowledge and technology, through greater cooperation among Member States, to ensure that everyone benefits from research and its results.

The EU will aim to improve career development opportunities to attract and retain the best researchers in Europe as well as incentivise researchers to pursue a career outside academia. To this end, it will also deliver, by the end of 2024, in partnership with Member States and research organisations, a toolbox of support for researchers’ careers. The toolbox will consist of the following elements: a Researchers Competence Framework to identify key skills and mismatches; a mobility scheme to support exchange and mobility of researchers across industry and academia; targeted training and professional development opportunities under Horizon Europe; and, a one-stop shop portal for people to more easily find information and manage their learning and careers.

The EU will work towards accomplishing the above strategic objectives, in close cooperation with the Member States, through 14 actions that are linked to each other and will be instrumental in realising the European Research Area. Furthermore, the Commission will drive a European Forum for Transition, a strategic discussion forum with Member States that will support them in the coherent implementation of these four objectives. The Commission will also propose, by the first half of 2021, that Member States adopt a Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe, which will reinforce their commitment to shared policies and principles and indicate the areas where they will jointly develop priority actions.

As part of its initiatives to support the recovery and build a green and digital Europe, the Commission, in addition to the new European Research Area, adopted today a new Digital Education Action Plan, to adapt education and training systems to the digital age, as well as a Communication on the European Education Area as a driver for job creation and growth.

To read the full article please follow the link to the original source, European Comission website

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1749

How successful are the initiatives in the institutional change?

By SalM on September 29, 2020 in News Articles

The GRRIP Project team is currently working on the State of the Art Review on Responsible Research and Innovation in research organizations to identify the most successful initiatives, projects, and methods that have generated institutional change.

The focus is on identifying the most successful initiatives, projects, and methods of delivering: Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) Action Plans for the institutional change in Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) and Research Funding Organisations (RFOs), and Quadruple Helix (QH) platform development and operation.

The purpose is not just whether the institutional effort has been made in relevant directions, but also what effects these have had on institutions and their environments.

RRI or similar Action Plans which have successfully generated institutional change in RPO&RFOs

THE GRRIP PROJECT is reviewing EU previous and current RRI related projects and selected RPO & RFOs with embedded RRI practices to learn from their experience: ensure maximum use of excellence during all stages of AP, determining barriers, challenges and mitigation, indicator development, and measuring RRI benefits. Further, through engagement, the intention is to learn from their experience and foster collaborations.

Quadruple Helix (QH) platform development and operation

What is Quadruple Helix? Innovation system model where not only the government, industry, and universities intervene, but the citizen himself is another crucial actor within the system.

Selected EU projects which have extensively and successfully engaged with the QH are being reviewed. It is imperative to understand the methodologies used for the different members of the QH to determine which approaches work best. In particular, the most successful dialogue methodology for the engagement with societal actors will be established.

While producing this review our team goes beyond the compilation of information on other projects. They developed clear and explicit criteria of success in both as an essential part of the Review delivery and one of the conditions for effective linkages with other activities of the project.

Partners in the implementation of the activity

• The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) – Experienced in detecting initiatives, projects, and methods mainly in the framework of its principal research lines which include marine renewable energies, ocean observation and monitoring, marine autonomous vehicles, marine governance and knowledge transfer.
• The National Research Council (CNR) – Coordinates MARINA (Responsible Research and Innovation for the Marine Sector). Leader of the work package on MARINA platform creation.
• Hochschule Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences (HSRW) – Coordinates NUCLEUS (RRI for RPO, Education, Industry. Inclusive engagement Civil society, Communication).
• Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) – Coordinates PRINTEGER (Governance and Ethics and RRI Tools for policy managers researchers).
  DMU – Coordinates CONSIDER (Civil Society Organisations in Designing Research Governance Civil Society and Digital single market).
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization  (UNESCO) – Direct participation in a number of European projects to be reviewed.
  Responsibility within the UN system for directly relevant workstreams on ethics of science and technology, including management of normative instruments and related processes (Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers, Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights).
• International Consortium of Research Staff Associations (ICoRSA) – Coordinator of the COST Action proposal SECURE (Sustainable Employment and Careers for Researcher Empowerment). ICoRSA has an extensive network of approx. 500,000 researchers globally, available through its member associations.

First Map of Marine Structures Shows How Much we’ve Modified the Oceans

By SalM on September 24, 2020 in News Articles

With our long history of altering the environment through manmade structures, we humans sure have made our mark on the Earth in our relatively short time here. Scientists in Australia have turned their attention to what this perpetual development means for the world’s marine environments, calculating the extent of our construction footprint on the oceans for the first time ever.

Call for Researchers – EMPORIA4KT Project

By SalM on September 23, 2020 in News Articles

The EMPORIA4KT project is offering a comprehensive training and mentoring programme for Blue Economy researchers to enhance their skills in innovation and technology transfer.  This programme will provide training and mentoring to participants to equip them with vital knowledge transfer (KT) skills for their future careers in Blue Economy innovation and will also provide valuable networking opportunities.

Participants will learn how to direct Research and Development towards market, industry, and private and public investment. They will also explore how to de-risk the Early Stage Technology (EST) development process and how to make ESTs more attractive to investment at an early stage of development.

The programme will be divided into two phases. The first phase will consist of 3 to 5 days of online workshops (March 2021) when researchers will receive training in skills related to innovation and technology transfer activities. The second phase consists of a 9-month mentoring programme (April – December 2021), during which participants will meet at three face to face events in each participating country, in addition to regular online meetings via virtual collaboration tools. Within national-based teams of four people, participants will determine the best commercialisation routes for real case studies of Early Stage Technologies in the Blue Economy. Each team will receive support from experienced EMPORIA4KT project partners and mentors in relevant academic and industry fields of the Blue Economy.

Three teams in each participating country will present at a national level, and the team with the best performance will represent their country in the EMPORIA4KT final international event in Brussels. At this final event, the five nationally selected teams will pitch their commercialisation plan for their Early Stage Technology, to an audience of industry, public bodies, private investors and peers. The EST pitch will be followed by a brokerage event, providing the opportunity for networking and KT collaborations. The remaining national ESTs will be presented by poster at this international event.

The EMPORIA4KT project plans to raise additional funding for proof-of-concept studies for the winning EST.

The EMPORIA4KT Blue Economy Technology Transfer Programme will accept 12 Blue Economy researchers per country.

Costs: There are no fees for the mentoring programme or the phase 1 online workshop. Travel costs for attending the three national events that will take place during the 9-month mentoring programme in phase 2 will be covered by EMPORIA4KT. Accommodation will also be covered if necessary. All other meetings and collaborations will be conducted online. Travel costs for the teams selected to attend the international event will also be covered by EMPORIA4KT.

Time commitment: Attendance at the phase 1 online workshops and the phase 2 three national events is essential. Travel to the EMPORIA4KT final international event will be essential if you are part of the team selected to represent your country. Participants will also have approximately two meetings per month with their group and will have follow-up tasks to complete in relation to these meetings. It is expected the time commitment for meetings and follow-up work will be 10 to 15 hours per month for each researcher. Candidate interviews (if necessary) are expected to be conducted from October 21st to October 23rd 2020.

Criteria and Requirements: To view the requirements and criteria please select your country below:

Follow the link posted below to the EMPORIA4KT Project website and apply for this program!

https://www.emporia4kt.com/copy-of-technology-transfer-program?fbclid=IwAR27DWCZwChi088mS-F2n7ZTQNk6NF8xo8q1KiuHNQXITnt3Bqrwmg7uZdg