Author: Jonny Hankins

Jonathan's Author Bio: Co Editor of the International Handbook on Responsible Innovation, and author of Responsible Innovation, A Narrative Approach, Jonny works for the Bassetti Foundation in Milan publishing articles on innovation and responsibility on their website and in academic and trade journals and also blogging about his interests. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Responsible Innovation and member of the the Virtual Institute of Responsible Innovation

European Research Council Funding Discussion

Leave a reply Jonny Hankins

What is the ERC?

The European Research Council (ERC) is one of the major sources of funding for scientific research in the EU. It is funded through the European Commission, and holds a particular position thanks to its aims and mission which are based on scientific excellence. The Council supports frontier research, cross disciplinary proposals and pioneering ideas in new and emerging fields which introduce unconventional and innovative approaches. The ERC’s mission is to encourage the highest quality research in Europe through competitive funding and to support investigator-driven frontier research across all fields of research, on the basis of scientific excellence. A total budget of 13 095 million euro is available for the implementation of the ERC funding schemes under Horizon 2020.

Mission

The ERC’s mission is to encourage the highest quality research in Europe through competitive funding and to support investigator-driven frontier research across all fields, on the basis of scientific excellence.

The ERC complements other funding activities in Europe such as those of the national research funding agencies, and is a flagship component of Horizon 2020, the European Union’s Research Framework Programme for 2014 to 2020.

Being ‘investigator-driven’, or ‘bottom-up’, in nature, the ERC approach allows researchers to identify new opportunities and directions in any field of research, rather than being led by priorities set by politicians. This ensures that funds are channelled into new and promising areas of research with a greater degree of flexibility.

ERC grants are awarded through open competition to projects headed by starting and established researchers, irrespective of their origins, who are working or moving to work in Europe. The sole criterion for selection is scientific excellence. The aim here is to recognise the best ideas, and confer status and visibility on the best brains in Europe, while also attracting talent from abroad.

However, the ERC aims to do more than simply fund research. In the long term, it looks to substantially strengthen and shape the European research system. This is done through high quality peer review, the establishment of international benchmarks of success, and the provision of up-to-date information on who is succeeding and why.

The hope is that these processes will help universities and other research institutions gauge their performance and encourage them to develop better strategies to establish themselves as more effective global players.

By challenging Europe’s brightest minds, the ERC expects that its grants will help to bring about new and unpredictable scientific and technological discoveries – the kind that can form the basis of new industries, markets, and broader social innovations of the future.

Ultimately, the ERC aims to make the European research base more prepared to respond to the needs of a knowledge-based society and provide Europe with the capabilities in frontier research necessary to meet global challenges.

The European Research Council supports frontier research, cross disciplinary proposals and pioneering ideas in new and emerging fields which introduce unconventional and innovative approaches. The ERC’s mission is to encourage the highest quality research in Europe through competitive funding and to support investigator-driven frontier research across all fields of research, on the basis of scientific excellence. A total budget of 13 095 million euro is available for the implementation of the ERC funding schemes under Horizon 2020.

The Financial Discussion

The current pandemic and the chaos it has brought to European economies has however thrown a spanner in the works, as the European Council (Heads of State) are proposing a dramatic cut in funding.

As I write almost 25000 people have signed a petition, asking for funding to be maintained at a level at least equal to that of the last 7 years, and the Friends of the ERC have published the following open letter:

Open Letter

One of the greatest success stories of the EU in the last decade is the European Research Council (ERC). Thanks to its unique formula of independence from political intervention, bold research ideas, bottom-up approach, and a singu-lar focus on excellence, ERC grants have become one of the most prestigious research grants in the world.

In light of the current European debate on the next Multian-nual Financial Framework, there is significant reason to fear a cut across all areas of Horizon Europe, and we anticipate that this would also impact the ERC.We, the signatories of this petition, call upon the Heads of States and Governments, to secure funding for the ERC in Horizon Europe, the next European framework programme for Research and Innovation. Protecting and improving the ERC budget will secure con-tinued investments in research that pushes the boundaries of our knowledge and continues to strongly support Europe as a dynamic knowledge society.

The ERC is a major reason for Europe ́s increasing strength in research. The EU comprises 7% of the world’s population but produces 1/3 of the world’s high-quality sci-entific publications. It is therefore of paramount importance that this success story can continue to develop and increase its strength in Horizon Europe.

The ERC invests in top researchers in Europe, giving them the freedom to follow their scientific curiosity. Based on scientific excellence, the ERC supports research that is pushing the very frontiers of knowledge through competitive funding across all fields. Open to top talent worldwide, the ERC is a vital tool helping Europe to attract and retain the brightest minds, and to establish itself as a scientific powerhouse. Many great ideas already exist which will not receive funding under current budget constraints. With increased funding, many more scientific breakthroughs are possible, with a high degree of certainty.

We recognize the ERC as the most important European instrument for financing frontier research – the very foundation of disruptive innovation. Thanks to the successes of the ERC, Europe is well positioned to remain a world leading economy, succeed in the European Green Deal and make substantive contributions to the resolution of global societal challenges.

This investment in ground-breaking research has already paid off. It has led to countless breakthroughs, nurtured science-based industry and created a greater impetus for research-based spin-offs.

With this open petition letter, we urge the EU to protect the funding of the European Research Council in the long-term budget of the EU.

I follow developments carefully, and have signed the petition.

Art in Technological Development

1 Reply Jonny Hankins

Art is a Powerful Engine for Responsible Innovations

Art as a driver for responsible innovations is really my thing, and fortunately I am not alone.

In4Art is an interesting project that creates space for experiments on the intersection of art, science and technology and translates the outcomes to strategic implications and innovations.

The project’s focus is to increase the impact of art in society and economy by bringing systematic change to the domains of circular economy, material research and next generation internet. Care and Environment, a mix of sustainable development goals and positive impact for the broad society.

All of which sounds fantastic to me and worthy of further investigation, particularly bearing in mind that they have just launched a new explainer site for anyone interested in their Art Driven Innovation method.

Art experiments today often take place at the cutting edge of technological development, and can spark as well as act as an engine for innovation. See the diagram above taken from the website, it shows how artworks (or really the different ways that art broadens thinking) can be introduced into the process and have an effect on technological development.

From the website:

In4Art was founded in 2015 by Rodolfo and Lija Groenewoud van Vliet with the mission to increase the impact of innovative art in society and economy.  We believe art is a powerful engine for responsible innovations. It acts as an accelerator for innovation, offers reflections on our fast-changing high-tech society and by translating that into art-driven innovations it enables impact from economical, ethical, environmental, social and legal perspectives. Therefore, we create space for experiments on the intersection of art, science and technology and translate the outcomes into inspiration, strategic implications and responsible innovations.

We act as partners for the development of artistic prototypes into art-driven innovations and share their trans-formative potential, while building a network of forward looking, 21st century thinkers and doers. To do so, we created the method – Art-Driven Innovation, which guides us in our innovation projects, collection, experiments and research, focusing on breakthrough technologies in the domains of next generation internet, materials for a sustainable future and biotech.

Art on the Blog

The topic of art and its relation to technological development is not new to the blog, several years ago we investigated nano-art, but the focus on how artistic involvement can influence trajectory, and move towards responsibility is new and exciting.

The artworks section of the explainer site offers some fantastic examples of technology/science/innovation/art fusion.

A very thought-provoking project with an entertaining pair of websites, why not take a look? Technological development and art have always had close connections after all.

Just think about Leonardo da Vinci!

A Joint Statement from the Editors, Christopher Roberts and Jonathan Hankins

1 Reply Jonny Hankins

After a long and fruitful informal collaboration, the Bassetti Foundation and Technology Bloggers have decided to formalize their relationship with a funding agreement.

From 1 November 2020 the Bassetti Foundation will cover the blog’s domain name and hosting costs. This is a fantastic agreement for all parties involved, as it guarantees funding for the continuation of the site while still leaving options open for other partnerships in-line with our values.

As regular readers will know, co-editor Jonny has been working with the Bassetti Foundation for many years, supporting their aim to promote responsibility in innovation. The blog and the Foundation released a joint pamphlet in 2012 based upon a series on the blog called Can We Improve The Health Of The Planet?, an early sign of what was to become an enduring relationship. As editors, we understand and share the goals and aims as well as the values that the Foundation stands for, and the mutual respect and trust offered in return is appreciated and valued.

As editors and authors, we try to highlight underappreciated positive projects/organizations in the world, and promote what we see as technological developments that aim to improve the lives of everybody across the planet.

Jonny started writing for the blog in July of 2011, 3 months after Christopher founded it, and while there has never been a policy on topic areas, the site has developed a view on technology and science and the environment thanks to our shared interests and similarity in positions.

Jonny was new to blogging and Christopher offered him the necessary experience, technological skills and platform to engage with a new audience on matters of ethics and some of the broader implications of technological development.  In return Jonny offered expertise in the rapidly developing field of Responsible Innovation.

Education and critical thinking are fundamental goals for both of us, we share a passion for communication, for enthusing people with the possibilities that the future holds while highlighting the social and ethical aspects of what this might all mean.

We have both learned a lot working together and editing the website over the last (almost) ten years. We benefit from the fact that we both have different expertise, both technical and philosophical. We have influenced each other’s thinking and paths, opened new opportunities and developmental possibilities.

The blog was originally conceived the as a community technology blog, and in its early years a range of posts from other writers were published, but recently the posts have all come from the editors ourselves. This reflects our coming to a shared position on technology and science, the blog follows a shared line and has its own identity, which seems to pay off. Readers seem to share our passions, and having had consistently healthy traffic figures since the blog started, we are sure we are having the desired impact.

We try to put all of this into practice, as we both believe that “we must be the change we wish to see in the world”.

We would like to thank the Bassetti Foundation, all of our readers and contributors and look forward to continuing our fruitful (and enjoyable) relationships with you all.

Editors Christopher Roberts and Jonathan Hankins.