#	Pagina
attuale pagina	/open-h2020/projects/224461/results.html

Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EFC (European Research & Innovation Days: High-level conference: Institutional Philanthropy Supporting Science, Research and Innovation)

Teaser

Summary

As previous Framework Programmes had no explicit legal framework for institutional philanthropy to participate in European Partnerships this was an important issue to address as the sector plays an important role in research. This will change with the upcoming Horizon Europe which has the explicit legal inclusion of foundations, among other private and/or public partners. This means that foundations will be able to support the development and implementation of the EU programme of R&I activities.
To further facilitate the relationship between DGR&I and foundations and explore ways to cooperate under Horizon Europe, the European Foundation Centre (EFC) was awarded this grant to co-create a 4 sessions at the R&I Days.
The development of this relationship is vital in addressing the large societal challenges we face. Foundations invest â‚¬5bn in science and R&I each year. By working together on common objectives, the European Commission and philanthropy can have greater impact on societal challenges in the ERA.
In light of this, the following objectives formed the grant proposal:
1. Explore lessons learned from recent experiences of collaboration from both public private partnerships and foundation collaborations through a thorough exploration of best practice, innovative solutions & mechanisms, constraints and failures
2. Explore strategic positioning/interest of foundations to partner with the European Commission to support excellent R&I and science in the ERA
3. Explore opportunities and framework conditions offered by the Horizon Europe R&I programme to develop ideas for innovative forms of cooperation, in particular in the frame of:
o Possible European partnerships and missions
o Prizes
o Joint calls
4. Explore the creation of structured and regular dialogue between foundations and the European Commission as well as more informal communication and learning mechanisms
5. Use the event as an opportunity for networking and establish a sustainable network of partners and stakeholders
6. The European Commissionâ€™s expected outcome of the conference is a joint understanding by the European Commission and foundations to continue strategic dialogue with an aim to create and collaborate on specific initiatives, potentially through pilot actions
7. After the conference, and as a key outcome of the dedicated sessions, participants should have a good understanding of constraints, drivers and ways of engaging with one another.

The EFC, its members, and DGR&I agreed that the R&I Days were a success and a key milestone in the development of both Horizon Europe and the relationship between foundations and the Commission. More concretely, a key outcome of the conference is that a strand on philanthropy will be created in the new European Innovation Council (EIC) Forum to act as a formal mechanism for exchange between foundations and the Commission.

Work performed

Project Management
1. Coordination of all elements of the project with all relevant stakeholders including EFC and DGR&I.
2. Clear and efficient communication including regular meetings and calls to ensure all partners were kept abreast of developments and that the project was co-created.

Content Management
1. Delivery of high-quality, focussed sessions at the R&I Days. The EFC worked closely with DGR&I and EFC members to shape the content of the sessions, the questions that should be addressed and to select expert speakers and a professional moderator
2. Creation and publication on Philanthropy Prizes
3. Formation of clear next steps and outcomes of the sessions, and a clear mandate for philanthropy and DGR&I to deepen their relationship, in particular through the establishment of a philanthropy strand under the new EIC Forum. This will facilitate the main conclusion: we need to move from co-funding to co-designing and co-creating.

Logistics
1. Close coordination between EFC and DGR&I on relevant logistics, in particular, the lunch with Commissioner Moedas and the foundations CEOs. Given the importance of this lunch, it was vital that every detail was coordinated.
2. Dedicated onsite management of EFC logistics of the R&I Days: EFCâ€™s events team was fully on hand to coordinate the Philanthropy Hub, all the sessions and meetings, the networking cocktail as well as logistical support for the lunch.
3. Efficient management of all vendors related to the R&I Days: EFC logistics staff coordinated with VO Europe for all on-site needs, in particular for the Philanthropy Hub. They also coordinated with the Crowne Plaza Hotel as the lunch venue and the hotel for EFC speakers.

Dissemination and Communication
1. All co-created sessions between EFC and DGR&I were very well attended, both by EFC members, the European institutions and other stakeholders.
2. Clear and efficient coordination between the EFC and DGR&I on communication matters: the EFC and DGR&I COMS teams met to coordinate messaging and delivery. EFC constantly did online promotion and reported all EFC sessions during the conference and disseminated key messages on their channels.

Overall Results relating to the Objectives
â€¢ Obj 2: EFC produced a position paper regarding Horizon Europe and how it would like to interact with it.
â€¢ Obj 3: EFC explored these opportunities throughout the conference with sessions on prizes, policy coordination and European partnerships.
â€¢ Obj 4: EFC produced a first paper on what the EIC Forum could look like in relation to philanthropy and a follow-up meeting has already taken place to take this conversation forward. A first official meeting of the Forum group on philanthropy could take place early 2021 with a limited number of exemplary meetings implemented before.
â€¢ Obj 5: The relationships between different foundations and DGR&I have deepened.
â€¢ Obj 6: There is a clear mandate from both sides to continue strategic dialogue with a view to collaboration. From an EFC perspective this will be primarily moving forward via the EIC Forum, however DG R&I is also continuing conversations with individual foundations to establish collaboration.
â€¢ Obj 7: There is a much clearer understanding of each otherâ€™s constraints and drivers. One of the key messages throughout was if bumps arise in the partnership, the key is to remember the objectives and goals, and a solution can be found. DGR&I and EFC agreed to continue discussions on the philanthropy group in the EIC Forum and to define a set of thematic priorities and objectives.

Final results

The funding and expertise of both the European Commission and foundations when it comes to supporting research, science and innovation has huge societal benefits. However working in silos can minimise impact. The projectâ€™s overall goal is to achieve greater societal impact through coordination around common objectives. This is especially important given the complex challenges we face. Although this project has made huge strides forward in developing this relationship, building upon past successful ad-hoc bilateral cooperation, setting up a channel for joint discussion, this is really just the beginning. It would be unrealistic to speak of results and impacts on a socio-economic level.
The whole exercise has taken us to an understanding that there are complementarities between foundations and bigger players to be explored and we can now say that both sides recognise what one can offer the other. This is the first time that it has been felt that there is traction to develop joint work that will be impactful.