”ERA-NET as a tool for facilitating
Cooperation and Coordination between
Ministries managing RTD Programmes”
23.5.2006, Brussels
Petri Honkanen
Senior Advisor, Ph.D.
Ministry of Trade and Industry, Finland
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OBJECTIVES
• Facilitate new European innovation policy research culture
through coordination & cooperation of national research
programs
• Develop shared European knowledge bases for innovation
policies through joint actions
• Service policy design and monitoring
• Identify common knowledge and development needs
• Complement and augment continuing national research
efforts and other international collaboration initiatives
• Nurture forward looking and world class research
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DURATION AND PARTICIPANTS
• Duration: May 2005 – April 2008.
• Comprises 10 partner countries and 12 organizations:
Finland:
Sweden:
Norway:
Denmark:
Estonia:
Latvia:
Flanders:
Austria:
Ministry of Trade and Industry (Coordinator) & Tekes
VINNOVA
Research Council of Norway
Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication
Ministry of Education and Science
Ministry of Flemish Community
Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology
WIFO
Ireland:
Forfás
Netherlands: Ministry of Economic Affairs
Observer: EC Joint Research Center for Prospective Technological
Studies
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ACTIVITIES
• Systematic review of national systems to support innovation
policy research and policy learning
-Shared knowledge and research needs
-Different national systems of research funding and administration
• Review of administrative and legal barriers for cooperation
-Identification of practical joint action mechanism
-Budget approval scheduling at partner countries
-Administrative changes necessary in some partner countries
• Identification of potential cooperation areas and joint action
themes
-added value to national research programs
• Mapping of European innovation policy research
-uniqueness of Era-Net-scheme
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PILOT JOINT ACTIONS
• Develop and try out three different type of joint action mechanisms
-Joint action in research grants (long term)
-Joint action in contract research (short term)
-Policy learning & activation of existing knowledge
• Develop sustainable management structure and principles for the
periodic execution of different joint actions
• Develop linkages with other international innovation policy research
iniatives and the researcher community
• Confirm partner committment and establish basis for network expansion
in late 2007
• Schedule budgetary commitments
• Launch joint actions in late 2007 or 2008
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LESSONS LEARNED – HOW TO COMMIT PARTNERS
• Ministries are vital partners:
-Support to international collaboration is decisive
-Able to overcome administrative and legal obstacles
• World class goals: Committment to develop cutting
edge understanding of innovation and pioneer new
policies
• Genuine contribution: Demonstrate the benefits of
collaboration and cooperation
-Good understanding of discipline’s global and European
research landscape
-The need to address fragmented research landscape
• Sustainability: Develop joint research mechanism, not
a joint project
-Long term perspective
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WAYS FORWARD – HOW FAR CAN COORDINATION GO?
• Common view of research priorities & knowledge needs is
important
• Different levels of coordination between national research
programmes
-Exchange of information and benchmarking
-Synchronization and cooperation between national programs
-Joint research actions
• It takes time to build capacity for real coordination. Issues:
-Legal and administrative barriers require changes
-Synchronization of budget schedules
-Scope of programmes
-Different research landscapes
• The balance between national policies and European
coordination depends on the discipline
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THANK YOU!
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Hannes Toivanen
VISION Era-Net Co-ordinator
Ministry of Trade and Industry, Finland
Email. [email protected]
Internet: http://www.visioneranet.org
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