Improved coordination of national and European bioeconomy research and innovation programmes in the ERA through strengthened SCAR Working Groups
Funding Program:
Horizon Europe
Call:
HORIZON-CL6-2021-GOVERNANCE-01
GA No.:
101060553
Duration:
2023-2027
EC Funding:
€ 3.999.952,50
Enabling MS/AC and the EC to work in partnership for a reinforced EU bioeconomy R&I system
The long-term vision of the RefreSCAR project is to contribute to a strengthened SCAR within the ERA (European Research Area), enabling MS (Member States)/AC (Candidate Countries and Associated Countries) and the EC to work in partnership for a reinforced EU bioeconomy R&I system. As the activities of the SCAR WGs provide the foundational basis of expert advice and input to SCAR activities, they represent the best channel through which to target actions.
• RefreSCAR will provide direct aid to SCAR WGs, FG, and potential future groups, enabling strategic actions and quality outputs. Assist in meeting organization, secretarial tasks, and cross-WG collaboration.
• RefreSCAR will conduct regular portfolio analyses for relevant projects across national, regional, and EU levels. Strengthen strategic discussions within WGs. Additionally, the project will utilize previous 2-year analyses and connect to EU-wide project outcomes via databases like CORDIS.
• RefreSCAR will analyze SCAR WG landscape for better linkages with R&I, policy, and practice. Through this the aim is to foster connections and exchanges through dedicated forums.
• RefreSCAR will engage with new stakeholders in R&I, policy, practice, and society via traditional and innovative communication. The project will also share WG outputs, portfolio analysis, studies, and events in accessible formats.
• RefreSCAR will build on existing capabilities and the experiences of previous Foresight Exercises, to provide target support to the FG in the planning and execution of the 6th Foresight Exercise, including facilitating exchange with the SCAR WGs.
• RefreSCAR will develop tailored action plans, financial and peer-to-peer support, networking and knowledge exchange, targeted support for communication and dissemination and advise individual action plans addressing barriers to the participation of countries in SCAR WGs
Our role in the project
FSH, as a key player, will spearhead the efforts in assisting SCAR WGs to transform their outputs into visually appealing and shareable content. This encompassing role involves formatting and graphically presenting reports and briefs, alongside crafting infographics for each WG report to capture its essence for social media and presentations. Additionally, videos summarizing SCAR WG activities or showcasing major report outcomes will be developed under FSH’s guidance.
Furthermore, FSH will lead WP3 and be engaged in activities to understand engagement factors, empower new members, and execute the SCAR-Engage Program to enhance participation and SCAR’s profile in under-represented MS/AC within WG activities. FSH will guide the development of Individual Action Plans for inclusion of countries, aligned with the results and tailored to their specific needs.
Moreover, FSH will engage program “alumni” for valuable insights in subsequent years and produce a featured video highlighting participants. This robust engagement will extend financial, peer-to-peer, networking, and knowledge exchange support to participants of the SCAR-Engage Programme.
FSH will also facilitate preparatory support for new members before their initial WG meetings, both at the country and WG levels. Throughout the program, FSH’s role will remain pivotal in fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovative thinking among SCAR WGs, R&I, policy actors, and practitioners. A series of webinars and innovation hackathons will also be conducted under FSH to provide educational and collaborative opportunities. Through these efforts, FSH will play a central role in advancing SCAR’s objectives and bridging gaps between diverse stakeholder groups.
VALPRO PATH by numbers
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18 partners from 14 countries
Expand geographical representation by involving 16 new WG members over 4 years with 4 - annual training webinars for new members held to increase knowledge and empowerment (SIPs)
- 2 RefreSCAR Hackathons organized inviting innovative thinkers (including the young generation of PhD students and postdocs, start-ups, SMEs and practitioners) to propose novel solutions to challenges identified by SCAR WGs
- Prioritising of R&I for policy impact through 4 workshops with EC representatives to facilitate an exchange on where R&I can urgently deliver evidence for informing and strengthening the strategic R&I policy advice function of SCAR WGs
- 18 workshops co-organized with the WGs to raise awareness of SCAR and its activities