A highly successful EU-funded evidence-based project on institutional change had its final project conference

A highly successful EU-funded evidence-based project on institutional change had its final project conference

By Graham on December 2, 2022 in Press Release

A highly successful EU-funded evidence-based project on institutional change had its final project conference on 1-2 December 2022, in Gran Canaria (Hybrid Event)

The conference gathered around 60 participants (in person in PLOCAN’s land premises and online).

GRRIP final conference in Gran Canaria

Gordon Dalton, GRRIP Project Coordinator welcomed the participants and invited them to the GRRIP Community which is one of the outputs of the GRRIP Project. “This has been a highly successful evidence-based project on institutional change. The project should be a role model for other research performing organisations and funding bodies to follow the same path of institutional change”, Dalton emphasised.

Seven different sessions with 34 talks and interspersed discussions on RRI implementation experiences gave the attendees an insightful overview of the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) initiatives and GRRIP project outputs and other similar EU projects (Co-Change, GRACE, NewHoRRIzon, SuperMORRI). The sessions were:

  • Assessing RRI status at institutions;
  • Designing and selecting RRI-related interventions;
  • Implementing RRI: “A” Discussion on barriers to, and opportunities for, institutional change;
  • Multistakeholder engagement in research & innovation; Evaluating RRI implementation;
  • Evaluating RRI implementation
  • Stories of RRI implementation in organisations; and
  • Launch of marine and maritime RRI community.

The GRRIP project worked on embedding sustainable Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI practices) in 4 research performing organisations (RPO) and 1 dual-function RPO and research funding organisation (RPO/RFO) (total 5 RPO&RFO) in the marine and maritime sectors to achieve institutional change and it is set to conclude in December 2022.

It has overseen the creation of 18 to 30 interventions related to gender equality (also, equality, diversity and inclusion), science communication and education, ethics and research integrity, open access, and public engagement in four research performing organisations (RPO) and one dual-function RPO and research funding organisation (RFO) in the marine and maritime sector. This has been achieved with the help of seven RRI expert partners in the GRRIP consortium. Representatives of the Quadruple Helix (higher educational institutes, private sector, government, and civil society) have been engaged in this project at various stages and in different research and innovation aspects.

 

GRRIP Consortium travels to Lisbon for project AGM

GRRIP Consortium travels to Lisbon for project AGM

By Graham on May 30, 2022 in News Articles, Press Release

GRRIP consortium members recently travelled to Lisbon to participate in the project’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and for Mutual Learning sessions.

The two-day event was the first in-person meeting to take place  in the project (after the kick off meeting in January 2019). The event was hosted by WavEC.

The event took place at the Museum of the Orient in Lisbon, Portugal, and was designed to be hybrid so that consortium members and participants unable to attend in person could join online.

The AGM was held on Tuesday, May 24. It featured updates on Responsible Research & Innovation (RRI) implementation pertaining to Work Package 7 from Ana Brito e Melo (WavEC), Ruth Callaway (Swansea University), Franck Schoefs (IUML), Silvia Martin (PLOCAN) and Jeremy Gault (MaREI).

It also included an update on monitoring of activities with regard to RRI implementation in the five M&M organisations from Malcom Fisk of De Montfort University and a presentation on the path forward for Deliverable 7.2 by ICORSA’s Eric Jensen.

The remainder of the AGM covered reflection and evaluation of Quadruple Helix (QH) engagement under Work Package 4 by Alex Gerber and Xiaoyue Tan (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and an update on RRI evaluation under Work Package 8, again by Xiaoyue Tan.

UNESCO’S Juliana Chaves-Chaparro, along with Patrizia Grifoni and Fernando Ferri of the National Research Council (Italy) presented their findings and discussed the model proposed for creating a Sustainable Marine & Maritime Community under Work Package 9.

Project Dissemination & Communications Officer Graham Lynch (University College Cork) presented updates on Work Package 2 progress to date as well as planned upcoming activities, before Project Coordinator Gordon Dalton (PLOCAN) brought proceedings to a close with his summary of Project Coordination, Standardisation and Methodology activities under Work Package 1.

Following the AGM, the group attended the offices of WavEC for a tour of the office, where consortium members met with staff and posed for a group photo.

The following day, Wednesday, May 25, the consortium members again met at the Museum of the Orient for the days scheduled Mutual Learning sessions. The event was also attended by GRRIP members virtually along with representatives from a number of other EU funded RRI focused projects.

Topics covered over the course of the session included “Reflections on QH engagement: a mutual learning dialogue” and “Sharing experiences and lessons learned from project implementation” both of which were facilitated by Erasmus University Rotterdam’s Hub Zwart.

A session entitled “Experiences and learnings of RRI implementation with other EU funded projects” sparked a wide-ranging conversation on the merits of RRI, the biggest obstacles faced and the path forward for successful integration of RRI principles in institutions. The session included contributions from Peter Biegelbauer, Mila Grahovac, Lalic Branislava, Erich Griessler, Alexander Gerber, and Penny Haworth: representatives of RRI focused projects Co-Change, NewHoRRIzon, and NUCLEUS. The session was moderated by Indrani Mahapatra, GRRIP’s Project Manager.

The day concluded with a detailed discussion of the potential creation of a sustainable and proactive Marine & Maritime Responsible Research & Innovation (RRI) community within the MARINA platform.

The GRRIP Project would like to sincerely thank WavEC for hosting the consortium in what turned out to be an extremely well-run event. The GRRIP Project now moves forward into its final stages with a completion date of December 2022.

Download: GRRIP AGM Press Release

 

GRRIP makes key contribution to United Nations General Assembly Science Summit

GRRIP makes key contribution to United Nations General Assembly Science Summit

By Graham on October 8, 2021 in Press Release

The GRRIP Project (Grounding RRI Practices in Research Performing Organisations) was a key contributor at the recent Science Summit held as part of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA76).

The virtual summit, which takes place over the course of a month from Tuesday, September 14 to Thursday, September 30, seeks to raise awareness of the role and contribution of science to the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

As part of the summit a session, held on Tuesday, September 28 and convened by UNESCO, explored ‘Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) for Sustainable Development’.

The session, according to organisers, would “build on the results from two key European Commission RRI projects: RRI Networked Globally (RRING) and Grounding RRI in Research Performing Organisations in Marine and Maritime (GRRIP) to extract lessons and discuss implicit policy instruments such as funding programs, tax incentives, RRI assessment and indicators as a pre-requisite for national calls participation, and explicit policy instruments including migration policies, work permits and statistics laws that need to be strengthened or redefined to support RRI structural change.”

Dr Ruth Callaway’s (FHEA Senior Research Scientist, Swansea University) presentation ‘Implementing RRI in a Public Research Organisation – Swansea University Experience’ detailed the integration of research with societal needs within the GRRIP Project.

Dr Malcom Fisk (Professor of Ageing and Digital Health PhD MA BSc FCIH FRSA Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility De Montfort University, Leicester UK) presented ‘Co-designing structural changes for a more Responsible Research and Innovation within GRRIP project’.

The session also featured contributions from Dr Gordon Dalton, GRRIP and RRING (RRI Networked Globally) project coordinator as well as Ms Juliana Chaves-Chaparro, UNESCO Senior Consultant and Mr Konstantinos Tararas, Programme Specialist, IRD Section, UNESCO Sector for Social and Human Sciences.

The concept of RRI has been heavily promoted by the European Commission in recent years as it is seen as a more inclusive, ethical and open approach with the potential for producing increasingly diverse/engendered science and innovation with stronger governance.

The UNESCO Recommendation on Science and scientific researchers paves the way for RRI relevant aspects such as ethics , diversity and open science. Importantly, the monitoring system for this recommendation requests Member States to report every four years on its implementation and will include RRI related indicators and policy instruments.

Download: Press Release

PLOCAN takes over coordination of EU funded projects GRRIP and MUSICA

PLOCAN takes over coordination of EU funded projects GRRIP and MUSICA

By Graham on October 7, 2021 in Press Release

The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) has been confirmed as the new coordinator of two leading European research projects.

MUSICA (Multiple-use-of Space for Island Clean Autonomy) and GRRIP (Grounding RRI Practices in Research Performing Organisations in Marine and Maritime) are both funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme.

In assuming the new coordinator role PLOCAN will be required to guide the projects through their respective periodic review processes to ensure they meet the requirements set out in the European Commission’s Grant Agreements. MUSICA has recently entered the second of its five phases, with GRRIP entering its third and final reporting period.

In addition to the new coordinator role at the MUSICA project, PLOCAN are leading the testing, monitoring, operation and maintenance of the multi-use platform on Oinnouses. PLOCAN will also contribute to the replicability plans and feasibility studies of the solution on Gran Canaria Island (Spain).

PLOCAN is also one of five Marine and Maritime (M&M) research performing organisations (RPO) in GRRIP. The aim of GRRIP is to embed Responsible Research & Innovation (RRI) in their governance frameworks, structures and cultures.

Dr Ayoze Castro, Head of the Innovation Unit at PLOCAN said, “We are immensely proud and excited to be taking on the role of coordinator for these two important and ambitious projects. MUSICA will represent one of the very first multipurpose offshore platforms in Europe. We fully believe that MUSICA is the logical follow-on from previous MUP projects and is the best route to commercialisation of the MUP/ MUS concept, balancing operator and investor risk, and acceleration of progress.

“With regards to GRRIP, we are of the opinion that this project represents a key milestone in the development of Responsible Research and Innovation in the fields of Marine Sciences. While there has been significant work done on the concept of RRI by EU projects over the past 20 years, many of the projects relating to institutional change for RPO&RFOs have typically focused on one of the five keys individually. GRRIP’s emphasis on the aim of grounding RRI practices in the RPO&RFOs themselves as part of an integrated approach makes it a unique and important project.”

Dr Gordon Dalton, from Ireland, has taken up the post of coordinator for the two projects. Dr Dalton brings with him the expertise of past coordination of two previous Horizon 2020 projects. Speaking on his new post, Dr Dalton, says, “I am very excited to take up the coordinator role for these two projects, and I’m keen to maximize the exploitation opportunities for PLOCAN and the Canary Island.

“I am determined to build and deploy multi-use platform technology in Gran Canaria, bringing construction and installation jobs for the region. Multiuse platforms will advance the Canary islands journey in sustainability, bringing green electricity and fresh water to the islands. The principles from the GRRIP project will ensure that exploitation of the MUSICA project will be both responsible and innovative for the Canary Islands.”

Download Press Release

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About PLOCAN

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). PLOCAN is configured as a Test Site where projects focused on testing and demonstrating maritime technologies so contributing to increase their technology readiness level (TRL) and speeding up market uptake.

PLOCAN’s staff and management team have both an 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 90 national and EU funded projects both as coordinators and partners.

https://www.plocan.eu/en/

 

About GRRIP                                                                                                                     

The GRRIP Project (Grant Agreements 820283) is committed to creating a sustainable, growing and proactive marine and maritime RRI community. GRRIP will embed sustainable RRI practices in 4 research performing organisations (RPO) and 1 dual-function RPO and research funding organisation (RPO/RFO) (total 5 RPO & RFO) in the marine and maritime sectors to achieve institutional and cultural change.

The project has 5 case studies in five countries: PLOCAN (Las Palmas, Canary Islands), MaREI (Cork, Ireland), Swansea University (Swansea, Wales, UK), WavEC (Lisbon, Portugal) and Centrale Nantes (Nantes, France).

https://grrip.eu/

 

About MUSICA                                                                      

The MUSICA project (Grant Agreements 862252) aims to create a one-stop trial solution to address the energy problems faced by many islands and coastal regions. MUSICA’s Multi-Use Platform will reduce the need for importing expensive and harmful fossil fuels by harnessing the available renewable energy resources of the sun, wind and waves to produce an autonomous, readily available supply of electricity and fresh water.

MUSICA is a consortium comprised of 15 partner organisations; University College Cork (Coordinator), Heriot-Watt University, University of the Aegean, Municipality of Chios, University of Malta, Coral Ltd, International Consortium of Research Staff Associations, Network of Sustainable Greek Islands, Platforma Oceania de Canarias, Innosea, Aquabiotech Ltd, NeoDyne Ltd, SinnPower Gmbh, INSB Class International Classification Society, Forkys

https://musica-project.eu/

 

For more information:

Contact: Graham Lynch, GRRIP / MUSICA Dissemination & Communications Officer

Email: grahamlynch@ucc.ie

Shaping the future of Marine and Maritime communities Virtual Workshop – Summary Report

Shaping the future of Marine and Maritime communities Virtual Workshop – Summary Report

By Graham on September 21, 2021 in Press Release

A virtual workshop, ‘Shaping the Future of Marine and Maritime Communities’, was recently organised by UCC Civic and Community Engagement, MaREI and ERI in order to determine the challenges that marine communities face and to identify potential research and innovation activities that can help address these challenges.

The workshop, which was supported by GRRIP and CityLabs, was attended by representatives from government, industry / business, academia and civil society on June 1, 2021. The discussions were based on five topics affecting the marine and maritime sector and associated communities: (1) Marine Environment (2) Marine Energy (3) Food Security (4)  Climate action and (5) Blue Economy, Skills and Jobs.

A preliminary summary report from the workshop has been produced and made available, with a more detailed report to follow once an analysis of the workshop transcriptions is completed. The summary report includes an overview on the approach taken to the staging of the workshop, as well as feedback and potential solutions discussed from each session based in the facilitators notes.

Download Summary Report

 

*Image Credit: Tayla Maurici (Unsplash)*

GRRIP to host workshop on Funding Opportunities for Offshore Wind Projects in Europe

GRRIP to host workshop on Funding Opportunities for Offshore Wind Projects in Europe

By Graham on May 10, 2021 in News Articles, Press Release

Two H2020 projects, Twind and GRRIP are jointly hosting an online Workshop titled “Horizon Europe: Funding Opportunities for Offshore Wind Projects in Europe” on Friday, May 14, 2021at 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM BST (GMT+1).

This webinar will cover the Horizon Europe call 5, Work Programme 2021-2022, Section 8, Climate, Energy and Mobility.

WEBINAR AGENDA

  1. The TWIND and GRRIP projects, WavEC Offshore Renewables
  2. Global review on Horizon Europe calls for renewable energy, Tecnalia
  3. HORIZON-CL5-2021-D3-02-12: Innovation on floating wind energy deployment optimized for deep waters and different sea basins, Tecnalia
  4. Introduction and Overview of Floating Offshore Wind Centre of Excellence, ORE Catapult
  5. Q&A Session, Moderated by WavEC Offshore Renewables

REGISTRATION:

Save your seat, register here.

Download Press Release