Policy impact of EU research Virginia Vitorino EC - DG RTD - Research in Social Sciences and Humanities

I. Introduction EU research to fulfil two major objectives: to produce further understanding of the various societal issues at stake, and to provide useful insights for policy formulation at various levels of implementation (European, national and regional).

I. Introduction Characteristics of EU funded research: Multidisciplinary, Collaborative, Transnational, comparative Policy relevant

I. Introduction Research on Education & Training and on Employment funded at EU level since 1994: FP4 ( ) – Targeted socio-economic research (TSER) FP5 ( ) – Improving the socio-economic knowledge base FP6 ( ) – Citizens and Governance in KBS FP7 ( ) – Research on socio-economic sciences and humanities

II. Contribution of EU research to policies EU funded research provides useful insights for the formulation of policies at all levels of implementation. But difficult to quantify exactly how, where and when the knowledge produced influences any type of policy formulation. At the EU level, however, it is possible to identify contributions in the design of some major policy initiatives.

II. Contribution of EU research to policies At the EU level, contributions to: “ The Social Exclusion Plan” Communication on “Universities and Research”, Commission Position Paper on “Formal and Informal Work” Communication on "Efficiency and equity in European education and training systems"

II. Contribution of EU research to policies Main messages from This Communication: social and educational inequalities and social justice have to be tackled on the same ground as efficiency of E&T systems. E&T policies must, and can combine the twin objectives of efficiency and equity in seeking to maximise their economic and social potential. There is no necessary trade off between them; E&T policies can join with other social policies to work towards inclusion for all. Need for the effective articulation of different policy areas.

II. Contribution of EU research to policies Various forms of dialogue platforms and products put in place aiming at valorising results, e.g.: 1.Dialogue Workshops (DW) - a privileged means of stimulating dialogue between researchers and EU policy makers More than 20 DW have been organised

II. Contribution of EU research to policies Dialogue Workshops on education, exclusion and employment : –Infowork - Social Cohesion, the Organisation of Work and Information and Communication Technologies, March 2004.Infowork –Loc Nis - Labour, Organisation and Competence in National Innovation Systems, February 2004.Loc Nis –Informal/Undeclared Work, May 2003Informal/Undeclared Work –Social Exclusion, Activation and Welfare, October 2002Social Exclusion, Activation and Welfare

II. Contribution of EU research to policies Various forms of dialogue and products… 2. Briefing papers on E&T –publication "European Union-supported educational research" –website 'New Perspectives for Learning: Project clusters’ activity “Employment and unemployment : –book on “Marginalisation”…edited by Duncan Gallie.

II. Contribution of EU research to policies Various forms of dialogue and products… 4. Policy review exercise: Identification of EU policy needs Synthesis of research results which could respond to these needs

II. Contribution of EU research to policies Some of the policy reviews: Employment and unemployment Education and Training Quality of work Education, Inequalities and Social Exclusion Social exclusion and Social security Family and Welfare Innovation and Research Policy Regional policy Sustainable development Governance Migration Gender Equality

III. Main thematic areas addressed by E&T research FP4 ( ): E&T related to economic, funding and investment and skills. FP5 ( ): link between E&T and other policy areas; learning processes on governance, regulation and reform questions; lifelong learning and vocational training research. FP6 ( ): E&T and learning processes in broader societal and political contexts; education challenges for the KS; role of lifelong learning; educational strategies for inclusion and social cohesion and their relation to other policies.

III. Main thematic areas addressed by Employment FP4: relation between employment, unemployment and social inclusion and exclusion; FP5: employment, unemployment, new forms and changes in work and flexibility issues. FP6: changes in work and flexibility”; relation between employment and growth and between labour market, employment and welfare regimes.

IV. Research findings relevant for policies at national level Some findings in E&T On transitions of youth from education to work: -preconceived idea that more qualifications equals to more and better jobs is simplistic; -relationship between education and economic dimensions is much more complex.

IV. Research findings relevant for policies at national level Main findings in E&T On early education: –early education plays an important role on young people at later stages in their life. –given the diversity of E&T systems and labour market mechanisms across Europe, the same policy interventions are unlikely to be equally effective in different contexts.

IV. Research findings relevant for policies at national level Main findings in E&T on the governance models for E&T: –introduction of market mechanisms in E&T seems to increase social and educational inequality and the exclusion of less advantaged groups.

IV. Research findings relevant for policies at national level Main findings in E&T on national, European and global E&T policies: –policies for learning are not merely policies for E&T, but form an integral part of wider social and economic policy. –outcomes of learning are intimately connected to the core economic and socio-cultural concerns and have social as well as economic consequences and opportunities attached to them.

IV. Research findings relevant for policies at national level Main findings in E&T On the relation between education and social exclusion –E&T cannot address alone social exclusion. –Articulation of various policy measures is the only solution to tackle the problem of social inclusion.

IV. Research findings relevant for policies at national level Main findings in E&T To sum up: Among numerous other conclusions, this research shows that there is currently a need for a better balance between the economic and socio-cultural objectives of learning.

IV. Research findings relevant for policies at national level Main findings in the area of employment and unemployment On risks of marginalisation of the unemployed: –The research points to the need of improving opportunities for skill development for the low skilled as a standard part of their employment conditions. –This requires the quality of work to be seen as an integral part of a preventive welfare policy.

IV. Research findings relevant for policies at national level Main findings in the area of employment and unemployment on current macroeconomic policy regime in Europe: –Findings suggest that European policies have been too preoccupied with the dangers of excessive inflation and neglected the benefits of a modest expansionary bias and a more accommodating macroeconomic stance.

IV. Research findings relevant for policies at national level Main findings in the area of employment and unemployment on full employment: –tensions at a policy level between supporting the role of women as mothers and increasing their employment rates –This suggests that the promotion of increased quality (and not just quantity) of employment should be the priority on this particular segment of the labour market.

IV. Research findings relevant for policies at national level Main findings in the area of employment and unemployment on gender and employment: –promotion of flexible employment, part-time employment and parental leave entitlements, together with the use of marketisation to promote service sector growth, could worsen the significant and persistent gender gaps in European labour markets.

Conclusion These findings show the richness of EU research They are relevant for policies at national level Further efforts needed to make them available for debate at the various levels of policy level, in particular at national level Hope this Conference is the first of many other initiatives of this type