Physical and Engineering Sciences (PESC)

Professor Marja Makarow, Chief Executive

Rome, 16 - 17 April 2009

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ESF Priorities set by the Governing Council

• Invest in Strategy– Improve definition of topics, quality, dissemination and

impact of Forward Looks– Produce reactive, timely and high-impact

Science Policy Briefings – Support to Member Organisation Fora

• Consolidate EUROCORES as a Member Organisation-funded scheme for joint research programmes

• Develop Peer Review activities

Individual InstrumentsChain of Instruments

ExploratoryWorkshops

Forward LooksSPBs

Research Networking

ProgrammesEUROCORES

Conferences

Member Organisations Fora

Quality Assurance

Overarching ESF Activities

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ESF: Multinational level• Exploratory Workshops, Forward Looks, Research

Networking Programmes and EUROCORES can be used as chain of instruments, one potentially but not necessarily leading to another

• Strategic work in EWs and/or FLs/ SPBs can catalyse implementation in the form of RNPs and/or EUROCORES

• Researchers can enter and exit chain at any stage• MOs can prioritize ESF activities (optimal mix needed)

Benefits of chain: • Researchers can plan activities from strategy to research,

with long-term goals and sustainable funding plan • MOs able to anticipate applications for implementation

instruments• Clarifies ESF strategy towards balance of instruments

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ESF in ERA

ESF ExploratoryWorkshops

ESF Forward Looks

Pol&Res

ESF Research

Networking Programmes

ESF Eurocores

EC ERANETs

MO Strategies

MOAwards

Research Programmes

EC Forsights

EC Joint

Programming

Overarching activity of EC: ERC

MOs: National levelEC: Supranational level• MOs’ strategies drive decisions on grants and programmes• MOs give rise to ESF FL topics• ESF FLs provide European-wide analyses of status quo of

research areas and foresight of developments and needs (policy-and research-oriented)

• EC Foresights identify themes for Joint Programmes • MOs’ strategies and ESF FLs should interact with EC Foresights • EUROCORES, MOs’ research programmes and other consortia

can assemble into ERA-NETS or Joint Programmes• Participants of ntl programmes could have intl programmes in

their exit plans• COST can join in FLs, and participants of Actions can join ERA-

NETs and Joint Programmes• Resources: RF/POs spend 30 B€/year, EC 5-10%, ESF General

Budget ~0.02% , EUROCORES ~0.4%

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Joint ProgrammingERA initiative of EC, adopted 2.12. 2008

• Concept– Themes to address major societal challenges,

warranting European collaboration– Themes developed using Foresight exercises and

proposed by High-level group (except pilot on Alzheimer’s in 2009)

– Ntl RF/POs self-assemble on voluntary basis, choose lead county, fund research, common peer review

– Criteria for pre-existing or new research groups: excellence, relevance, open access

– EC’s role negotiable, current EC instruments available

• Debated issues– Bottom-up approach to Themes selection by scientific

experts– Fresh money nationally and from EC

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Research programmesCompetition or complementation• Joint Programming

– Will RF/POs embark? Best researchers? Max 6 themes?• ERA-Nets networks of natl programs

– Will they give way to JPr?• Will ERC embrace programmes?

– Recommended by Evaluators of FP6 • Has EUROCORES scheme a niche?• Bottom-up, smaller scaled than JPr, any theme• 27 EUROCORES in research phase• 115 M€, 1000 researchers, 66 funding organisations

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• Ongoing Peer Reviews entrusted to ESF (full-cost)– Peer review of European Polar Climate programme– Two research programmes of the European Space Agency – Irish Research Ccouncil Science and Technology - provision

of referees for intl postdoctoral awards– Reasearch assessment of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

• ESF Pool of Referees – Commitments from scientists to carry out peer reviews – Updates, renewals and additions, including quality control– Annual membership list published on ESF web site and

communicated to Member Organisations– Recent renewal of membership - rapid positive response

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Peer Review

ESF involvement in shaping the European Research Area• French Presidency ERA Vision 2020• ERAB’s Strategy for ERA 2030, June 2009 • Spanish EU Presidency 2010: ERA Governance, 2009• EUROHORCs and ESF Vision on competitive ERA• Recommendations of Evaluation Report of FP6• EC’s five ERA initiatives, published

– Towards Joint Programming in Research– European Partnership for Researchers– Knowledge Transfer and IP Management– Legal framework for a European Research Infrastructure – A Strategic European Framework for International

Science and Technology Cooperation

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