Pillar IV: Advancing Knowledge for ERA

Scope

This topic aims to generate new information and knowledge contributing to strengthening the evidence base for advancing the ERA. Applicants should propose diverse R&I activities that can support the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of ERA policies and practices.

Applicants should select and clearly identify one area being addressed, choosing from the six areas outlined below. Each area is designed to contribute toward the implementation of an ERA policy: Area 1 – ERA Structural Policy “Enabling open science via sharing and re-use of data, including through EOSC”; Area 2 – ERA Action “A coordinated framework responding to emerging challenges for ethics and integrity in R&I”; Area 3 and Area 4 – ERA Structural Policy “Strengthening gender equality and inclusiveness in the ERA"; Area 5 and Area 6 – ERA Structural Policy “Making research careers more attractive and sustainable and support mobility”. Proposals should develop all the activities outlined for the selected area, as well as additional activities contributing to the selected area’s expected outcomes.

In project activities, particular attention should be paid to promoting inclusive gender equality and addressing gender-specific challenges.

Expected project duration is up to 3 years without prejudice to a longer duration if justified.

Area 1: Assessing reproducibility in research by direct replication of scientific findings

Expected outcome: Proposals under Area 1 will deliver on the impact “Increased reproducibility, trustworthiness and transparency of scientific research”, contributing to the ERA Structural Policy “Enabling open science via sharing and re-use of data, including through EOSC”. Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• New knowledge and methodologies through independent, direct replication studies of selected high-impact research findings are available to researchers, citizens, and policymakers;
• New innovative approaches are available to researchers and open science experts to conduct and incentivise the replication of scientific findings;
• Sustainable engagement and collaboration in replication of scientific findings have been established across research communities.

Scope: Area 1 aims to support the replication of significant findings across different scientific fields, addressing technical and societal challenges related to research reproducibility. Proposals must build on prior art in replication practices and demonstrate their capacity to perform and conclude the replication of the findings within the means and duration of the project. Funded actions are expected to adhere to the best practices in open science and reproducibility.

Activities should involve all relevant actors, including researchers, scientific service and infrastructure providers, and open science experts. To achieve the expected outcomes, proposals should address the activities outlined below and propose any additional, complementary activities:

• Conduct independent, direct replication of the findings of specified high-impact, influential studies from selected research domains, using state-of-the-art methodologies; these should cover both experimental and computational studies, including cases where the original findings have been controversial, or where replication studies are needed to confirm or refine the results;
• Develop innovative approaches to replication studies and solutions that can be generalised or adapted to multiple fields, considering the distinct challenges of different scientific fields and the challenges that cut across the selected research domains;
• Assess the findings of the replication studies and develop and disseminate best practices and concrete, field-specific recommendations for increased reproducibility of scientific findings, based on the replication studies, as well as policy-related recommendations;
• Develop and test innovative models to incentivise researchers to participate in replication studies;
• Foster community-building to support long-term collaborations on replication practices.

Area 2: Ethics of emerging technologies with high socio-economic impact: space exploration/exploitation

Expected outcome: Proposals under Area 2 will deliver on the impact “A research ethics and integrity ecosystem enhanced with robust methodologies and knowledge in the field of space exploration/exploitation”, contributing to the ERA Action “A coordinated framework responding to emerging challenges for ethics and integrity in R&I”. Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

• Researchers and ethics professionals have generated new knowledge about the ethical and societal impact of emerging technologies in space exploration/exploitation;
• A robust ethics and integrity framework supports researchers, ethics experts, and policy makers in applying responsible governance to emerging technologies in space exploration/exploitation;
• Key stakeholders, e.g., policymakers, researchers, innovators, and the public, have increased awareness and understanding of the ethical aspects of emerging technologies in space exploration/exploitation.

Scope: Area 2 aims to define the ethical challenges and design a robust framework to address the risks to fundamental rights, human integrity, and environmental harm of space exploration/exploitation.

Proposals should build on the results of relevant past or ongoing initiatives and projects at European and/or national level addressing ethics-related aspects.[1] Proposals should include structured cooperation with the Embassy of Good Science,[2] as well as relevant European networks[3], and liaise with international initiatives (e.g., UNESCO). Actions should target researchers, ethics experts, members of national and local ethics committees/bodies, policy makers, and the general public. To achieve the expected outcomes, proposals should address the activities outlined below and propose any additional, complementary activities:

• Identify and study the ethical challenges and implications in relation to R&I on space exploration and exploitation, e.g., the risks and benefits for the integrity and dignity of human beings, approaches to minimise harm and maximise beneficence, and approaches to ensure a responsible and sustainable use of space resources;
• Develop a robust research and integrity framework and training materials to support actors at the EU, national, and local levels in applying an ‘ethics by design’ principle;
• Develop and implement communication tools to provide open and transparent information on project outcomes to enable public trust.

Area 3: Mapping and promoting inclusive gender equality and policies in R&D intensive firms

Expected outcome: Proposals under Area 3 will deliver on the impact “Enhanced gender equality and inclusiveness, leading to research excellence and more innovative, socially relevant, and economically impactful outcomes”, contributing to the ERA Structural Policy “Strengthening gender equality and inclusiveness in the ERA”. Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Better understanding by researchers, research organisations, ERA stakeholders, and policymakers of the current state of inclusive gender equality in R&D intensive firms;
• Researchers, research organisations, ERA stakeholders, and policymakers have access to effective methods, strategies, and tools to overcome the challenges and to promote and support the adoption of inclusive gender equality policies in R&D intensive firms;
• Increased capacity of R&D intensive firms to implement inclusive gender equality plans, policies and practices.

Scope: Area 3 aims at increasing knowledge on policies and strategies addressing persistent gender and diversity gaps in R&D intensive firms[4].

Project activities should target research performing organisations, higher education organisations, and other R&I stakeholders (networks, etc.). Participation of private sector organisations, including R&D intensive firms, is encouraged. Proposals should build on and complement outcomes of any relevant past or ongoing initiatives and projects[5].

Proposals are invited to focus on specific (sub)fields of research and development[6] with persisting gender and diversity gaps, focusing in particular on small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups, and scale-ups. To achieve the expected outcomes, proposals should address the activities outlined below and propose any additional, complementary activities:

• Comprehensively map inclusive gender equality policies and practices in R&D intensive firms, involving a literature review, data collection and analysis, and identify gaps, challenges, needs, impacts, and conditions that enable or hinder their implementation;
• Explore methods and strategies to overcome the challenges and enhance the engagement of R&D intensive firms in actions aimed at increasing the participation of women and underrepresented groups;
• Develop and disseminate tailored capacity building, tools, and resources for R&D intensive firms that facilitate adoption and effective implementation of inclusive gender equality plans, policies and practices.

Area 4: Advancing gender-responsive R&I through budgeting, expenditure tracking, and evaluation of the sex and/or gender analysis in R&I content

Expected outcome: Proposals under Area 4 will deliver on the impact “Enhanced gender equality and inclusiveness, leading to research excellence and more innovative, socially relevant, and economically impactful outcomes”, contributing to the ERA Structural Policy “Strengthening inclusive and intersectional gender equality in the ERA”. Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Research organisations and policymakers at national and EU level have improved capacity to monitor, evaluate, and strengthen the integration of the gender dimension, including an intersectional perspective, in R&I content;
• Research organisations at national and EU level have access to standardised principles, methodologies, and tools for gender-responsive budgeting and expenditure tracking;
• Stakeholders and policymakers benefit from improved access to high-quality disaggregated data and transparent reporting on the gender dimension in R&I content, including an intersectional perspective, and in R&I expenditure, supporting more inclusive decision-making and socially relevant innovations.

Scope: Area 4 aims to define principles and develop a methodology for gender budgeting and expenditure tracking in R&I, and to develop a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation approach to assess the integration of gender dimension in R&I content, including the intersectional perspective.

Project activities should target research performing and funding organisations, higher education institutions, research infrastructures, and public bodies. Proposals should build on the results of relevant past or ongoing initiatives and projects[7]. To achieve the expected outcomes, proposals should address the activities outlined below and propose any additional, complementary activities:

• Review existing knowledge, frameworks, and practices employed by relevant stakeholders;
• By 2027, in collaboration with the ERA Forum sub-group on inclusive gender equality[8], develop: 1) guidelines, criteria, and metrics to assess and guide the integration of the gender dimension in R&I content and 2) principles for gender budgeting and expenditure tracking, including a standardised methodology, with an intersectional approach to be applied to both;
• Design monitoring and reporting mechanisms, such as a publicly accessible database, that provide disaggregated data on gender equality and intersectional characteristics in R&I expenditure and showcase related outcomes;
• Cooperate with key stakeholders, employ engagement activities and participatory approaches to involve under-represented groups, where relevant, and build capacity and foster mutual learning through targeted workshops, seminars, and training sessions.

Area 5: Assessing trends and effects of research careers in the private sector and of inter-sectoral research careers

Expected outcome: Proposals under Area 5 will deliver on the impact “Improved career research careers and mobility on the basis of the European framework for research careers, fostering knowledge flows and career interoperability across sectors and countries”, contributing to the ERA Structural Policy “Making research careers more attractive and sustainable and support mobility”. Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Improved knowledge regarding the structure and deployment of research careers in the private business sector and of careers that deploy across various sectors;
• Better awareness of the types of knowledge flows triggered by inter-sectoral mobility and careers;
• Stakeholders and policymakers benefit from an improved set of tools to conceptualise, measure, and assess research careers in the private business sector and careers that span across various sectors.

Scope: Area 5 aims to build new evidence to support informed policymaking, with the potential to foster the interoperability of research careers across sectors and countries, and broaden the spectrum of research career opportunities.

The objective is to collect empirical and conceptual knowledge on the specific characteristics and career trends of EU-based researchers working in the private business sector (56.5% of total employed researchers[9]). Universities and other research performing organisations are expected to implement the activities in cooperation with business sector actors, where relevant. Results should benefit policymakers, as well as research organisations and individual researchers. To achieve the expected outcomes, proposals should address the activities outlined below and propose any additional, complementary activities:

• Conduct quantitative and/or qualitative analyses which may build on or complement the insights and data provided by the Research and Innovation Careers Observatory[10];
• Analyse the logics underpinning research careers in the private sector, as well as those spanning over private and public sectors;
• Analyse the role played by research careers in the private sector and the intersectoral mobility of researchers in the diffusion and valorisation of knowledge across the ERA;
• Provide policy recommendations to improve the attractiveness and interoperability of research careers.

Area 6: Mapping international research careers and talent flows

Expected outcome: Proposals under Area 6 will deliver on the impact of “Improved career research careers and mobility on the basis of the European framework for research careers, fostering knowledge flows and career interoperability across sectors and countries”, contributing to the ERA Structural Policy “Making research careers more attractive and sustainable and support mobility”. Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Improved knowledge regarding the role played by research collaboration networks, which span across the EU and the rest of the world, in the configuration of research careers;
• Stakeholders and policymakers benefit from a better understanding of the international dimension of research careers and the impact these careers, in turn, have in shaping research collaboration networks and knowledge flows.

Scope: International research communities and networks provide the scope for research careers that deploy internationally, which in turn may contribute to strengthening international ties and communities.

Area 6 aims at increasing empirical and conceptual knowledge regarding this co-evolution between stable international research collaboration networks[11] and international research careers. Applicants may propose a variety of empirical approaches and strategies, for example, the mapping of collaborative projects structures and international co-publication networks, or the design of specific case studies.

Universities and other research performing organisations are expected to implement the action, in cooperation with additional stakeholders, where relevant. Results should benefit policymakers in national and international administrations, as well as research organisations and individual researchers. To achieve the expected outcomes, proposals should address the activities outlined below and propose any additional, complementary activities:

• Analyse the relevance of research collaboration networks involving the EU and Associated and/or third countries in the shaping of research careers across the world and in the EU's capacity to build and attract research talent;
• Analyse the relevance of careers deploying within such global research collaboration networks in the development of the international collaboration ties and in encouraging knowledge flows across the EU and the rest of the world;
• Provide policy recommendations at European, national and stakeholders level to improve the attractiveness of research careers.

[1] For example, projects funded under H2020_SwafS-18-2016, HORIZON-WIDERA-2024-ERA-01-12.

[2] The Embassy of Good Science is the one-stop-shop platform supported by the European Commission for sharing knowledge and training tools on ethics and research integrity, https://embassy.science/wiki/Main_Page.

[3] E.g., European Network of Research Ethics Committees (EUREC), European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA).

[4] See, e.g., The 2024 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard.

[5] Including projects funded under SwafS-26-2020, HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ERA-01-80, and HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ERA-01-80.

[6] Refer to Frascati Manual: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2015/10/frascati-manual-2015_g1g57dcb/9789264239012-en.pdf.

[7] Including projects funded under SwafS-02-2016, SwafS-08-2017, HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ERA-01-80, HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ERA-01-81; projects BUDGET IT (funded under HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ERA-01-81) and LeTSGEPs (funded under SwafS-09-2018-2019-2020); GEAM tool.

[8] See the Commission expert group, https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/screen/expert-groups/consult?lang=en&groupID=103813.

[9] EUROSTAT Data, Researchers by sectors of performance – full time equivalent. Latest data available from 2023, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/rd_p_persocc/default/table?lang=en.

[10] https://ec.europa.eu/era-talent-platform/reico/.

[11] Stable international research collaboration networks are to be intended as medium to long-term networks, involving, for example, researchers and research performing organisations. Short-term initiatives, such as a standalone project of limited duration, should not be considered as a stable research network.