Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ERA-LEARN 2020 (Strengthening joint programming in Europe)

Teaser

ERA-LEARN 2020 is a support platform for the Public-Public-Partnerships (P2P) community. ERA-LEARN 2020 involves the main stakeholders engaged in designing and deploying the broad structures and functions for the coordination and cooperation of national and/or regional...

Summary

ERA-LEARN 2020 is a support platform for the Public-Public-Partnerships (P2P) community. ERA-LEARN 2020 involves the main stakeholders engaged in designing and deploying the broad structures and functions for the coordination and cooperation of national and/or regional research programmes; the P2P community is supported in investigating what has been learned and achieved by existing networks, if expectations have been met, and which positive effects have been observed by participating organisations or countries.

The specific objectives of ERA-LEARN 2020 are to:
- provide a web-based information, learning and support platform for P2P to avoid duplication of efforts;
- support the ongoing optimisation of P2P networks by supplying a toolbox to include the wider activities of joint programming, particularly the Joint Programming Initiatives (JPIs), the Art.185 initiatives and the Horizon 2020 ERA-NET Cofund instrument, as well as their associated impacts;
- implement a systematic process for monitoring & impact assessment of P2P networks, including their impacts at the policy, programme and cofunded RTD project-level;
- assess and benchmark current approaches to alignment and explore options for new modalities that will better align national and/or regional activities under common research agendas;
- implement an annual cycle of knowledge exchange aimed at increasing the impact of investment in P2P activities and exploring options to support less research intensive countries.

Work performed

Main activities and results in the first reporting period:
• The ERA-LEARN 2020 portal www.era-learn.eu was set up and finally launched in July 2015. The core sections are the following: comprehensive and user-friendly database of P2P networks and funding organisations with interactive maps, database of joint calls, database of funded RTD projects, H2020 calls for P2Ps with partner a search tool, learning material, alignment, monitoring and assessment
• The ERA-LEARN 2020 toolbox was updated and expanded to support the ongoing optimisation of P2P networks; new learning material was elaborated and made available, in particular ERA-NET COFUND relevant information was added. A specific section of the ERA-LEARN 2020 portal was created to provide GPC related material to the P2P community.
• A user needs survey was carried out to learn more about the needs of the P2P networks.
• A systematic process was started for the monitoring & impact assessment of P2P networks ate several levels. A 1st report on P2P Partnerships was prepared, a policy brief on Impact Assessment of Networks was developed and a workshop on evaluation and impact assessment of P2Ps was held. A reference library was started with examples of indicators, impact assessment frameworks and impact assessment reports that have been produced by some of the more mature P2P networks.
• Current approaches to alignment were assessed, a typology of alignment was developed; a Workshop on the Practical Implementation of Alignment was held; 6 case studies on current and 3 on novel alignment modalities were completed.
• The Annual Joint Programming Conference 2015 was finally held in January 2016 with a focus on “Building and Sustaining Commitment to Public-Public Partnerships”.
• Three ERA-LEARN 2020 newsletters were published during the reporting period.

Final results

Progress beyond the state of the art
Already in the first reporting period ERA-LEARN 2020 has become a unique support platform for the Public-Public-Partnerships (P2P) community. It provides interactive access to a wide range of P2P related information and facilitates communication between P2P network actors through dedicated events, through a unique partner search tool, or by enabling the networks to announce news or events through the ERA-LEARN portal.
The ERA-LEARN 2020 portal contains comprehensive databases of all P2P networks and joint calls; a unique database of transnational projects funded by P2P networks was started and will be expanded continuously. The ERA-LEARN 2020 portal has become an information hub for JPI stakeholders, providing JPI case studies (three on stakeholder engagement, one on open knowledge policies) as well as a dedicated section for GPC related material.
ERA-LEARN 2020 has facilitated a step forward with respect to aligning national/regional activities, providing a clear and agreed definition and typology of alignment and several case studies on current approaches to alignment as well as case studies on ‘novel’ alignment modalities.
With its process for monitoring and impact assessment ERA-LEARN 2020 has contributed to measuring the impact of P2Ps.


Expected potential impact
Overall the ERA-LEARN 2020 project is expected to contribute to the following direct impacts:

• Increased efficiency of public administration & policy learning
Increased efficiency of public administrations is targeted through a number of activities that combine identification of good practice, exchange of experiences and facilitation of learning. Improved efficiency in public administration is conceived both in relation to managing limited resources, for example when deciding what joint programming initiatives to join, as well as achieving alignment at the operational and implementation levels to increase impacts. This is associated with raising awareness about, and assessing benefits of, the various initiatives and presupposes a well-defined positioning of the instruments in the ERA landscape.

• Increased awareness of joint programming and establishment of added value
ERA-LEARN 2020 will raise awareness on joint programming process and initiatives by developing, compiling and disseminating learning material as widely as possible with its web-based tools and through facilitating exchange of experiences and training courses in areas of specific interest for P2Ps. In particular for the already established 10 Joint Programming Initiatives, it will build interfaces with the GPC and offer support to the GPC in developing and continuously updating Framework Conditions for Joint Programming. ERA-LEARN 2020 will also go beyond raising awareness and exchanging of good practices: it will produce new knowledge supporting the analysis activities of the project as well as provide a platform for engaging the ERA community in a two-way dialogue on a constant basis triggered by the production of newsletters, policy briefs, annual reports, papers, etc.

• Improved understanding of the joint programming approach to policy making and implementation and development of common approaches
With this process ERA-LEARN 2020 will advance the level of achievement from mere raising awareness to better understanding and even further to organisational and policy learning about P2P functioning and their impacts at national, trans-regional and international levels. The exchange of information and good practice at national and EU levels will have an impact on the design of future programmes and will help to optimise the scope of these programmes across Europe. This will be particularly helpful for new players, such as newly established agencies in the so-called ‘new’ Member States. The P2P end-users i.e. the European R&D community, will also benefit from improved procedures.

• Higher standards and increased effectiveness of joint pro

Website & more info

More info: http://www.era-learn.eu.