Swedish advocacy platform to influence Horizon 2020

‘Science with and for Society’ (SwafS) is a sub-programme of the EU’s research and innovation programme Horizon 2020 that VA (Public & Science) aims at influencing. The aim of SwafS is to build effective cooperation between science and society and to encourage responsible research and innovation, so that developments in research and innovation better meet the values and needs of society.

Adalheidur Jonsdottir, SiS.net2 and Maria Hagardt of SwafS Advocacy Platform Photo: Michalis Tzatzanis, FFG

VA coordinates a national advocacy platform that brings together some fifty Swedish organisations, government agencies, research centres and individual researchers with the aim of increasing Swedish participation in SwafS.

All the policy areas of the SwafS programme (Gender Equality; Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI); Governance; Public Engagement, Open Access and Science Education) are represented by the participating stakeholder organisations.

Through the advocacy platform, the stakeholders aim to find new channels and ways of influencing the design of future work programmes and calls for proposals under Horizon 2020 to ensure that Swedish strengths and development need are met. The overall objective is to increase Swedish participation in SwafS and the project will also map SwafS activity taking place in Sweden.

In October 2014 the advocacy platform submitted a co-ordinated response to the European Commission’s consultation on the next work programme of Science with and for Society (SwafS) covering 2016–2017.

The project will run until the end of 2017 and is funded by EU-Sam, a collaboration that includes the research funding organisations VINNOVA, Forte, Formas, the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Energy Agency and the Swedish National Space Board. EU-Sam is currently funding some 30 national advocacy platforms in various fields.

If you would like to know more about the project, please get in touch with Maria Hagardt, International Relations & Communications Manager at VA.

The project website: www.swafs.se

VA’s former Director of Research, Maria Lindholm, has been elected chair of the European Commission’s Advisory Board for the Science with and for Society programme, SwafS in 2016-17. The EC’s Advisory Boards represent a broad constituency of stakeholders and are consultative entities that give strategic advice on the preparation of Horizon 2020 work programmes.

Cissi Askwall, Secretary General of VA, has been appointed member of a European expert group for SwafS, organised by the network of National Contact Points for SwafS.

You can read more about the project in the articles below:

| Av Vetenskap & Allmänhet

Strengthen Citizen involvement and public engagement in Horizon Europe!

The current draft of the EU’s next framework programme for research and innovation is not addressing the needs to involve and engage citizens and civil society in research and innovation enough. VA has therefore encouraged the Swedish government and Swedish members of the European Parliament to act to make Horizon Europe a more citizen-oriented programme.

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| Av Vetenskap & Allmänhet

Swedish SwafS platform helping to shape the next EU research and innovation programme

Around 40 national representatives and experts from 23 countries gathered at the Swedish Research and Innovation Office in Brussels at the end of February to discuss the next European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, FP9. The meeting was organised by the Swedish Advocacy Platform for SwafS (Science with and for Society) and SiS.net2, the international network of National Contact Points for SwafS in Horizon 2020.

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From Open Science to Impact

How can researchers embrace open science for better research and societal impact? Listen to a webinar exploring different opportunities.

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| Av Helen Garrison

VA’s views on Horizon 2020 and funding post-2020

Do more to address citizens’ needs and involve them in the research and innovation process. Include the humanities and social sciences more in Horizon 2020 calls. These are two of the recommendations put forward by VA (Public & Science) in response to the European Commission’s public stakeholder consultation, which forms part of the interim evaluation of Horizon 2020. Responses to the questionnaire will help the Commission improve its implementation of H2020 and inform EU research and innovation funding post-2020.

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| Av Helen Garrison

Building bridges in science communication. Report on VA’s experiences at PCST in Turkey

Istanbul was the host city for the 14th global PCST science communication conference that took place between 26 and 28 April 2016. The conference gathered some 300 delegates from 40 countries to discuss a wide range of issues in science communication practice, training and research. This year VA (Public & Science) contributed three engaging sessions to the programme on citizen science, factors influencing public confidence in science and ways of influencing Horizon2020, respectively.

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| Av Helen Garrison

VA appointed chair of EC’s Advisory Group on SwafS

VA’s Director of Research, Maria Lindholm, has been elected Chair of the European Commission’s Advisory Group for the Science with and for Society programme, SwafS in 2016-17. The EC’s Advisory Groups represent a broad constituency of stakeholders and are consultative entities with the task of giving strategic and consolidated advice to the Commission services during the preparation of the Horizon 2020 work programmes.

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