Physical and Engineering Sciences (PESC) Professor Marja Makarow, Chief Executive Rome, April 2009

2 ESF Priorities set by the Governing Council Invest in Strategy –Improve definition of topics, quality, dissemination and impact of Forward Looks –Produce reactive, timely and high-impact Science Policy Briefings –Support to Member Organisation Fora Consolidate EUROCORES as a Member Organisation-funded scheme for joint research programmes Develop Peer Review activities

Individual Instruments Chain of Instruments Exploratory Workshops Forward Looks SPBs Research Networking Programmes EUROCORES Conferences Member Organisations Fora Quality Assurance Overarching ESF Activities 3

ESF: Multinational level Exploratory Workshops, Forward Looks, Research Networking Programmes and EUROCORES can be used as chain of instruments, one potentially but not necessarily leading to another Strategic work in EWs and/or FLs/ SPBs can catalyse implementation in the form of RNPs and/or EUROCORES Researchers can enter and exit chain at any stage MOs can prioritize ESF activities (optimal mix needed) Benefits of chain: Researchers can plan activities from strategy to research, with long-term goals and sustainable funding plan MOs able to anticipate applications for implementation instruments Clarifies ESF strategy towards balance of instruments 4

5 ESF in ERA ESF Exploratory Workshops ESF Forward Looks Pol&Res ESF Research Networking Programmes ESF Eurocores EC ERANETs MO Strategies MO Awards Research Programmes EC Forsights EC Joint Programming Overarching activity of EC: ERC

MOs: National level EC: Supranational level MOs’ strategies drive decisions on grants and programmes MOs give rise to ESF FL topics ESF FLs provide European-wide analyses of status quo of research areas and foresight of developments and needs (policy- and research-oriented) EC Foresights identify themes for Joint Programmes MOs’ strategies and ESF FLs should interact with EC Foresights EUROCORES, MOs’ research programmes and other consortia can assemble into ERA-NETS or Joint Programmes Participants of ntl programmes could have intl programmes in their exit plans COST can join in FLs, and participants of Actions can join ERA- NETs and Joint Programmes Resources: RF/POs spend 30 B€/year, EC 5-10%, ESF General Budget ~0.02%, EUROCORES ~0.4% 6

Joint Programming ERA initiative of EC, adopted Concept – Themes to address major societal challenges, warranting European collaboration – Themes developed using Foresight exercises and proposed by High-level group (except pilot on Alzheimer’s in 2009) – Ntl RF/POs self-assemble on voluntary basis, choose lead county, fund research, common peer review – Criteria for pre-existing or new research groups: excellence, relevance, open access – EC’s role negotiable, current EC instruments available Debated issues – Bottom-up approach to Themes selection by scientific experts – Fresh money nationally and from EC 7

Research programmes Competition or complementation Joint Programming –Will RF/POs embark? Best researchers? Max 6 themes? ERA-Nets networks of natl programs –Will they give way to JPr? Will ERC embrace programmes? –Recommended by Evaluators of FP6 Has EUROCORES scheme a niche? Bottom-up, smaller scaled than JPr, any theme 27 EUROCORES in research phase 115 M€, 1000 researchers, 66 funding organisations 8

Ongoing Peer Reviews entrusted to ESF (full-cost) –Peer review of European Polar Climate programme –Two research programmes of the European Space Agency –Irish Research Ccouncil Science and Technology - provision of referees for intl postdoctoral awards –Reasearch assessment of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences ESF Pool of Referees –Commitments from scientists to carry out peer reviews –Updates, renewals and additions, including quality control –Annual membership list published on ESF web site and communicated to Member Organisations –Recent renewal of membership - rapid positive response 9 Peer Review

ESF involvement in shaping the European Research Area French Presidency ERA Vision 2020 ERAB’s Strategy for ERA 2030, June 2009 Spanish EU Presidency 2010: ERA Governance, 2009 EUROHORCs and ESF Vision on competitive ERA Recommendations of Evaluation Report of FP6 EC’s five ERA initiatives, published –Towards Joint Programming in Research –European Partnership for Researchers –Knowledge Transfer and IP Management –Legal framework for a European Research Infrastructure –A Strategic European Framework for International Science and Technology Cooperation 10