Open schooling and collaboration on science education SwafS-01-2018-2019
The proposed action targets the creation of new partnerships in local communities to foster improved science education for all citizens. This action aims to support a range of activities based on collaboration between formal, non-formal and informal science education providers, enterprises and civil society in order to integrate the concept of open schooling, including all educational levels, in science education.
For more information, see the Call in Funding & Tenders Portal
Grounding RRI practices in research and innovation funding and performing organisations SwafS-05-2018-2019
The action is addressed at organisations funding or performing activities in the field of R&I as one of their significant objectives or activities. All parts of the "quadruple helix" model, which sees close co-operation between industry, government, universities and society (e.g. citizens and Civil Society Organisations) in R&I, are addressed – and it is encouraged that consortia ensure truly engaged roles for all organisation types. Consortia should be composed of organisations that already have some experience of processes of institutional change and beginners, so as to encourage mutual learning. In addition, priority should be given to the development of new partnerships.
For more information, see the Call in Funding & Tenders Portal
EURAXESS TOP V SwafS-07-2019
EURAXESS aims at helping researchers and entrepreneurs to advance their career in Europe and thus make research and innovation more attractive, both for researchers in Europe who are facing career decisions and for those who are currently outside Europe and might consider relocating to Europe to develop their careers. From mainly mobility support, the EURAXESS network shall become the reference tool also for career development of researchers in public or private institutions.
For more information, see the Call in Funding & Tenders Portal
Research innovation needs & skills training in PhD programmes SwafS-08-2019
A broad package of skills-related training, integration and intelligence for researchers and scientists in all career stages will need to be developed. Preferably pilots will be organised by (or in cooperation with) experienced projects which already received EU funding or are currently funded under Erasmus+, Horizon2020, ITN, MSCA. In all cases, partners should be able to demonstrate proof of concept and initial impact of the PhD training and reasoning for improving and formally integrating skills training. Initial postgraduate tracking exercises have to be integrated in the proposal, to demonstrate ability to trace postgraduates during employment (including sex-disaggregated data). Counselling initiatives of PhD candidates and PhD graduates into focussed careers in and outside academia should be provided.
For more information, see the Call in Funding & Tenders Portal
Supporting research organisations to implement gender equality plans SwafS-09-2018-2019
The action should focus on implementing Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) in research organisations and universities, as "drivers" for systemic institutional changes. The GEPs should be developed using a coherent approach, referring to the GEAR tool step-by-step guide. The proposed GEPs structure will include at least the following:
Conduct assessment / audit of procedures and practices with relevant data to identify gender bias at organisation level;
Implement effective actions to be developed over time, according to the identified bias;
Set targets and monitor progress via indicators at organisation level.
For more information, see the Call in Funding & Tenders Portal
Scenarios for an award/certification system for gender equality in research organisations and universities in Europe SwafS-11-2019
The action will consist of a feasibility study of a European award/certification system for gender equality in research organisations, including universities. Several options should be investigated. Based on the experiences of existing schemes and outcomes of previous research and initiatives (e.g. Horizon 2020 projects such as GEDII, and EFFORTI, FP7 ERA-Net Gender-NET) , the action will:
- Conduct an in-depth qualitative and quantitative assessment of existing national award/certification schemes for gender equality in research organisations and universities. Particular attention will be given to the national context in terms of legislation, policy and research funding environment to understand the intended and non-intended impacts of each evaluated award scheme.
- Provide a clear framework for at least 3 different options of a European award/certification scheme encompassing the three objectives for gender equality in the ERA, i.e. gender equality scientific careers, gender balance in decision-making positions and in the integration of the gender dimension in R&I content. The options should take into account the possible synergies and linkages with the current Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R).
For more information, see the Call in Funding & Tenders Portal
The gender perspective of science, technology and innovation (STI) in dialogue with third countries SwafS-12-2019
The project will investigate how gender equality matters are taken into consideration at different levels of international cooperation in the area of science, technology and innovation between the EU and a selected set of third countries, along three objectives, i.e. equality in scientific careers, gender balance in decision making, and the integration of the gender dimension in R&I content. The project will build on the work done by the ERA-related groups in charge of gender equality and international cooperation as well as EU funded projects.
For more information, see the Call in Funding & Tenders Portal
Supporting the development of territorial Responsible Research and Innovation SwafS-14-2018-2019
Consortia should focus activities in more than one territory in Europe (and possibly also in Third Countries), with a view to developing and promoting shared learning and diffusion of governance innovations. Local and regional authorities should be active partners of the consortia, in particular those institutions or parts of institutions responsible for research and innovation. The RRI approach should be integrated in regional development policies, e.g. spatial planning, land use planning, coastal planning, urban development and urban structuring activities (list not exhaustive). Consortia should make strong efforts to ensure the involvement of all kind of citizens, irrespective of their age, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic background.
For more information, see the Call in Funding & Tenders Portal
Exploring and supporting citizen science SwafS-15-2018-2019
A, Coordination and Support Action - CSA (1 project in 2018): This will provide support to citizen science at the European level. It will also create a mutual learning space where citizen science projects/participants can exchange experiences and successful strategies. It will raise awareness of citizen science among the general public, provide co-ordination support between citizen science initiatives (in particular those funded by SwafS but also working in a spirit of co-operation with established networks of citizen scientists), identify training needs with a view to developing and implementing training to help citizen scientists, and support communication between citizen science and science journalists/science media. It will also identify good practices that incentivise career scientists to engage with citizen science activities.
B, Research and Innovation Actions - RIA (multiple projects in 2018-2019): This will support hands-on citizen science activities. Proposals may focus on one particular area of scientific enquiry or tackle several, though transdisciplinary approaches should be favoured. The intended activities should be clearly defined and result in the development of new knowledge, new technologies, or new means of using existing technological or social innovations better. Activities can explore how citizen science develops scientific skills and competences, act as a tool for informal and formal science education of young people and adults, counter perceived anti-intellectual attitudes in society, raise the scientific literacy of European citizens, and promote social inclusion and employability. Gender, geographical and socio-economic factors should be taken into account so as to ensure activities are open to people from all backgrounds. Effort should be made to evaluate the impacts on society, democracy, the economy, science itself, and the individual citizen scientists involved in the activities. Lines of communication should be established with other relevant SwafS projects in order to share evaluation data and data arising from the citizen science in the spirit of open science.
For more information, see the Call in Funding & Tenders Portal
Ethics of Innovation: the challenge of new interaction modes SwafS-16-2019
Innovation, from idea to product, and including social innovation, is a main driver for change, a pillar of EU growth and globally for socio-economic development. It addresses key challenges in fields such as the environment and health and improving the quality of life and well-being of citizens.
In order to maximise the social benefits derived from innovation, the action will assess the ethical, regulatory and governance issues potentially arising in this context. The action should identify what the distinctive elements of innovation ethics would be in this dynamic context.
The role of citizen participation in innovation (including social innovation) must be analysed in order to maximise the effectiveness of this participation for all stakeholders, taking into account possible gender differences. Best practices for an active involvement of citizens and relevant stakeholders in the innovation processes should be identified. The design and use of IT tools should also be considered in order to optimise stakeholder participation.
For more information, see the Call in Funding & Tenders Portal
Consolidating and expanding the knowledge base on citizen science SwafS-17-2019
This topic will deepen scientific knowledge on citizen science. It will work very closely with and examine and synthesise data arising from existing citizen science projects (in particular, but not limited to, those funded by SWAFS) to better understand participation patterns in citizen science, the types of activities conducted, the transformative potentials of participating in citizen science, challenges faced by citizen scientists, enablers and barriers to participating in citizen science (e.g. in terms of socio-economic status, gender, age, and in terms of R&I policies), and a strengthened knowledge base on its benefits. It will place developments in global and European historical contexts, and develop understanding about the implications of citizen science on science itself, and on science's relationship with and for society. It will involve stakeholders from local to European levels, from all parts of the quadruple helix, and taking into account gender, geographical and socio-economic differences, to develop policy messages that work towards an enabling R&I policy environment for citizen science and maximisation of the benefits of citizen science.
For more information, see the Call in Funding & Tenders Portal
Taking stock and re-examining the role of science communication SwafS-19-2018-2019
This topic aims to better understand how results from research and scientific methodologies are communicated and perceived by citizens (taking into account age, gender, and socio-economic status), develop improved ways to measure and assess science communication, and identify good practices and policy guidelines to increase the accuracy of (and therefore trust in) science communication. It will increase knowledge about science communication at international, EU and member state levels. It will propose innovative ways to open up science and innovation broadly to society by improving the quality and effectiveness of interactions between scientists and other R&I stakeholders, the media and the public. It will examine the teaching of science communication within scientific disciplines and as a dedicated academic discipline. It will also give attention to existing incentive (and disincentive) structures for scientists and other R&I stakeholders to engage in science communication, for instance in terms of career and scientific reputation. Applicants are welcome to propose other innovative ideas in relation to the above specific challenge.
For more information, see the Call in Funding & Tenders Portal
Building the SwafS knowledge base SwafS-20-2018-2019
Understanding the evolution of science and society will help proactive and anticipatory policy making. This includes examining how societal actors, including young people, behave, understand, react to and interact with science and scientific developments, and their motives for engaging in science-related activities. It encompasses investigating science communication and science advocacy in the digital world, and how science and technology studies and different disciplines (e.g. behavioural sciences, communication studies, gender studies, linguistics, and social anthropology) – and multi/transdisciplinary approaches – can help explain interactions between science and society. This includes a focus on blind spots of research and innovation in relation to people's needs and concerns and in any of the areas or dimensions covered by RRI. Moreover, consideration could be given to rewarding achievement in RRI in its various dimensions to signal the organisations that are more RRI aware (answering questions such as how such a reward could work and based on which criteria). Another area is implications of deep changes in science and innovation and their interactions with society and the economy, such as the transition to open science and open innovation, and resultant changes in the relationships between science and society.
For more information, see the Call in Funding & Tenders Portal