2018 CG High-Level Seminar on Research Policy, San Servolo:“Defining and measuring impact of level Seminar on Research : Policy an interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach”
6-7 December 2018, San Servolo
Since 2013, the Coimbra Group has organised high-level policy seminars on research to address current issues in European research policy of key importance to member universities and to the European research community. The high-level policy seminars have been organised in collaboration with the Venice International University based on the Isola di San Servolo, Venice.
The high-level policy seminars are intended as a forum for informal dialogue between university rectors, stakeholders and key decision makers in European research policy.
The theme chosen by the Executive Board of the Coimbra Group for 2018 was “Defining and measuring impact of research: an inter-disciplinary and inter-sectoral approach”. The rationale is based on the increasing importance of research impact assessment currently observed in national, European and international research programmes, and expected to increase further in the future, in particular within the ninth European Research and Innovation Framework Programme, Horizon Europe, and associated Open Science policies. At the high-level seminar, we aimed at gathering Coimbra Group rectors and experts from the field to reflect on the current state of research impact definitions and associated indicators, considering the different disciplines, sectors and viewpoints of involved funding bodies. A specific focus was on one of the recent developments in research policy, i.e. the introduction of a mission-oriented approach and its impact on Research and Innovation practices in general. The seminar was composed of four main sessions: the first aimed at providing information on the latest developments in FP9 and mission-oriented research, while the second and third sessions focused on inter-disciplinary and inter-sectoral definitions and assessments of research impact. The last session introduced case studies on how to develop a research impact culture at universities.
Among the invited key note speakers and discussants were key stakeholders in European research policy, representatives from European institutions, leading researchers and policy officers from member universities, rectors from member universities as well as representatives from other European university networks. As at earlier high-level policy seminar, the 2018 event was attended by Rectors and Vice Rectors for Research at our member universities from all over Europe together with their senior research support officers. It was intended to offer senior representatives at our member universities a forum for discussion of issues arising from the design and implementation of the Horizon Europe.
Presentations
Opening addresses
The Honorary President of the Coimbra Group, Rector Ricardo Rivero Ortega
Representative of the Venice International University, Ambassador Umberto Vattani
Venice International University
The Chair of the Executive Board of the Coimbra Group, Prof. Ludovic Thilly
Session 1: Status of FP9, Horizon Europe
Session 2: How to define research impact
Prof. Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, President of the European Research Council
Prof. Anders Flodström, Education Director of EIT Digital
Session 3: How to define and measure research impact – funders’ views
Jean-Claude Burgelman, Head of Unit B2 “Open Science”, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission
Chonnettia Jones, Director of Insight and Analysis, Wellcome Trust
Session 4: How to develop a research impact culture?