Exploring and setting research agendas

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• Exploring and setting research agendas
• ESF Forward Looks in the EU and global contexts
• Dr. Henk Stronkhorst, Head of Social Sciences
  Unit
• VIII Bled Forum on Europe
• Foresight Conference Governing Futures -

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ESF Membership

• 76 Member Organisationsin 30 countries, beyond
  the European Union.
• Research funding organisations
• Research performing organisations
• Academies

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ESF Mission

• ESF provides a common platform for its Member
  Organisations (MOs) in order to
• Advance European research
• Explore new directions for research at the
  European level
• Through its activities, ESF serves the needs of
  the European research community in a global
  context.

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Three decades of science

• Established 1974
• Independent, non-governmental
• Offices in Strasbourg and Brussels
• Budget 41M
• Networking Budget 3B

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Scientific Domains

• Physical and Engineering Sciences
• Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Medical Sciences
• Humanities
• Social Sciences
• Space Sciences
• Marine Science
• Polar Science

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ESF portfolio of instruments
ESF Activities
Synergy
Management
EURYI
COST
EuroBioFund
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Forward Look definition1

• FS/FL is a systematic and participatory process
  resulting, through collective learning, in a
  medium to long-term vision building of the forces
  shaping the future.
• It provides an authoritative and trustworthy
  advice in policy formulation, planning and
  decision making.
• It is a condition for quicker progress. 1. this
  is a proposed definition by an ESF Working Group

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Aspiration of ESF with FLs

• ESF is still developing its Forward Look
  instruments and the potential impact these may
  have, also for Research Infrastructure
  strategies.
• ESFs aspiration is to mirror, or even improve,
  within Europe the quality and authority of the
  FLs undertaken by the American National Academies
  of Science.
• To guarantee quality and authority, one must
  involve the very best scientists, world-wide.
  

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Format of Forward Looks

• Activities preparatory study/expert groups, high
  level overview papers, workshops and meetings
• Main event high visibility conference
• Outputs Policy Briefings, major reports, action
  plans
• Lead time 12-24 months
• Average budget k 100-150

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Characteristics and first generation of Forward
Looks

• Medium - long term scientific perspectives
• Multidisciplinary topics viewed from a European
  level
• Bring together leading scientists and policy
  makers
• Lead to authoritative reports and action plans
  for research and research infrastructure

• Earth System Science
• Cultural Diversity
• Immigration and Identity
• Urban Science
• Nanomedicine
• Nanosciences and IT
• Systems Biology

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FL Earth System Science Recommendations

• Develop flagship projects
• Create a European Global Change Board
• Specific recommendations
• Collaboration between natural and social sciences
• Interface science and policy
• Monitoring and data
• Capacity building

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Follow-up initiatives

• Earth System/Global Change
• EUROCORES on Climate Change and Biodiversity
• EC Symposium May 2004 recommended Establish
  mechanisms for consultation among EC, ESF and
  ESSP on the integration of GC research
• ERA-NET application on Global Change has been
  submitted
• Cultural Diversity
• ESF Scientific Network ISPP FP6 NoE IMISCOE

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Forward Look Nanomedicine Priority areas next
10 yrs

• Science
• Cell as 3-D complex
• Nanosensing of multiple, complex analytics for in
  vitro measurement of biochemical, genomic and
  proteomic networks
• Nanosensing in vivo with telemetrically
  controlled mobile sensors
• Rapid fingerprinting of all components in blood
  samples

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Forward Look Nanomedicine Priority areas next
10 yrs

• Communication
• Promotion of more truly transdisciplinary
  conferences. EU programmes seldom show alignment
• Scientifically qualified politicians are not
  common. Serious effort needs to be made in
  addressing politicians by opinion leaders in
  nanomedicine
• There should be a clearer articulation and better
  communication of the benefits of embracing
  nanomedicine
• The scientific community should engage in regular
  dialogue with the general public, and address
  public concerns early. There is a need for the
  clear presentation of facts

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FL Topics 2005

• Launch in 2006
• European Food Systems in a Changing World
• European Computational Science Forum
• Higher Education in Europe beyond 2010 (HELF)
• Launch in 2007
• RNA World
• Security Advancing a Framework for Enquiry
  (SAFE)

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Higher Education Looking Forward (HELF) title

• Full title
• Higher Education in Europe beyond
  2010Resolving Conflicting Social and Economic
  Expectations

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Higher Education Looking Forward (HELF) background

• Characteristics of HE research
• Policy driven and interdisciplinary
• Fuzzy boundaries between researchers and other
  experts
• Quite fragmented research communities
• HELF aiming to bring disparate communities
  together in order to develop a scientific agenda
  for future higher education research which can be
  set alongside the policy agenda

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HELF Organising Committee

• John Brennan (Chair), Centre for Higher Education
  Research and Information, The Open University, UK
• Luca Codignola, It (SCH Rappporteur)
• Jürgen Enders, Nl
• Christine Musselin, Fr
• Manfred Prenzel, De (SCSS Rapporteur)
• Ulrich Teichler, De
• Jussi Välimaa, Fi
• Henk Stronkhorst, FL Coordinator

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Five HELF Themes

• HE and needs of knowledge society
• HE and the achievement of equity and social
  justice
• HE and its communities interconnections
• Steering and governance of HE
• Differentiation and diversity of institutional
  forms and professional roles

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FL Topics 2006/2007

• - Invitation to submit topics to the ESF Member
  Organisations in summer 2006
• - Decision by the ESF Governing Council on topics
  in April 2007
• - Potential new Forward Looks in fields such as
  Ageing and
• Re-emergence of Religion as a Social Force,
  and several in the field of medical, life and
  natural sciences

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Lessons learned 1

• Foresight must be visible, transparent and
  inclusive
• Interesting science is not enough. There must be
  a specific problem, a challenge or an opportunity
• Resolve scientific disputes elsewhere first
• Boundaries must be correctly chosen, especially
  given the increasing links between fields

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Lessons learned 2

• Several countries should be interested to ensure
  prospect for success
• Recommendations should be directed to the right
  actor avoid someone should do something
• Decision makers should be involved in project
  activities to ensure future impact
• A Foresight Report is just the beginning it
  requires subsequent promotion and publicity to
  ensure impact on science policy decision

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ESF Forward Looks the future

• ESF Forward Looks should directly impact on
  European science policy
• Open issues
• How to best identify the topics?
• How to ensure the authority?
• How to engage the scientific community at the
  highest level?
• How to create the impact?

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• www.esf.org

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ESF Scientific Forward Looks

• The ESFs Forward Looks are key in the
  development of strong links between the European
  scientific community and science policy makers.
• The purpose of a Forward Look is to define
  research agendas and priorities in a particular
  research domain and to communicate the results to
  research funders.
• The themes are selected on the basis of their
  importance to European research