Opportunità di finanziamento

Introduction

REINFORCING supports organizations and institutions in Europe to transition to a new paradigm where responsibility and openness drive research and innovation (R&I) processes. The green and digital transitions have become of paramount importance to address the societal challenges that European societies currently face. The twin transition will bring enormous benefits but also undesired externalities and implications. In this regard, EU institutions and territories need to shift to more open and transparent R&I practices in which all actors share responsibility to develop services and products that are acceptable, sustainable, and bring social satisfaction.

The Open and Responsible Research and Innovation (ORRI) approach promotes collaborative efforts, sharing research outputs as early as possible for engaging citizens in co-creation processes and opening R&I to the whole society. Implementing Open and Responsible Research and Innovation (ORRI) can seem a daunting task. Over the past decade, many resources and tools have been created, but an effort to systematize, curate, and create a single-entry point was still missing. REINFORCING is this much-needed European central hub for ORRI. The REINFORCING platform (https://reinforcing.eu/oss-platform) is the entry point to knowledge, training, ORRI skills matchmaking, and capacity building for organizations interested in starting or continuing their journey to creating an inclusive R&I ecosystem.

Furthermore, the project brokers unique networking opportunities for organizations, institutions, and territories interested in becoming part of the European ecosystem that is transforming the R&I system by bringing it closer to society and societal needs. To support this change, REINFORCING has ring-fenced funding to invite institutions from around Europe to develop projects aiming at implementing new modes of doing R&I that drive more just transitions. All the Calls have supported and will support territories and organizations experimenting with ORRI for the first time (ORRI Incubator Open Calls) as well as those scaling up their ORRI activities (ORRI Booster Open Calls).

Call requirements and details

Proposals applying for the REINFORCING 6th Open Call must revolve around practices of Responsible Innovation.

The European Union stands at a critical juncture in the evolution of its research and innovation (R&I) ecosystem. The proposed “Fifth Freedom,1” encompassing the free circulation of research, innovation, data, education, and competences, responds to this challenge by placing the generation and diffusion of knowledge at the core of Europe.

Yet, realising the promise of the Fifth Freedom requires more than structural reforms and investment in infrastructure. It demands a sound approach to how research and innovation are conceived and conducted that ensures alignment with societal needs, democratic values, and ethical standards. Responsible Innovation is both a well-rooted and a necessary framework to guide this transformation, grounding scientific and technological advancement in principles of transparency, inclusiveness, responsiveness, and anticipation. Moreover, Responsible Innovation supports the creation of a truly “European Knowledge Commons” where open science, ethical standards, and public participation converge. It reinforces Europe’s position not only as a regulator of technologies but as a proactive co-shaper, along with its citizens, of socially relevant R&I.

Thus, Responsible Innovation plays a crucial role, enabling research to navigate complex ethical landscapes and multidimensional challenges through cross-sectoral, interdisciplinary, and participatory approaches.

The REINFORCING Sixth Open Call, as an Incubator, has specific and mandatory requirements to comply with:

1. The consortium must include at least 2 entities based in EU countries (Member State or associated country), including their outermost regions or associated countries eligible to receive Horizon Europe grants, provided that the applicants are not covered by the Council sanctions in force. The main applicant (in terms of budget and activities) - the project Coordinator - must have little or no experience in ORRI.
2. Release an ORRI resource (or ORRI Tool) to be inserted into the REINFORCING online platform. The resource should be included in the proposal text as one of the results to be delivered and its development in the list of activities to be performed.
3. Attend the online internal 6th REINFORCING Open Call Kick-off meeting and online monthly meetings with the 5th REINFORCING Open Call Coordinators and REINFORCING consortium representatives.
4. Partake in the REINFORCING ORRI training workshop on-site in Brussels, led by REINFORCING partners.
5. Take part in the online 6th Open Call mid-term review meeting.
6. Join the online internal 6th REINFORCING Open Call Final Event.
7. Participate in the public 6th REINFORCING Open Call Webinar at the end of the project.
8. Contribute to the online communication and update of the REINFORCING project channels (e.g., website, social media, etc.) with grantees' achievements and information.
9. Engage in peer learning activities.

While designing your proposal, please bear in mind that REINFORCING does not fund:

1. Training or consulting activities for institutions, organizations, and territories that are not part of the consortium, since institutional changes are requested to be visible and measurable in the funded entities (grantees), at least in the Coordinator (main beneficiary) of the project.
2. Activities related to technological developments and/or proof of concepts, while REINFORCING could support co-creation and/or visioning workshops linked to those activities - if coherent with the scope and the requirements of the Call.
3. Marketing and consumer studies that do not foresee a meaningful engagement of citizens or other societal actors that goes beyond providing feedback on already existing innovations.
4. Activities of any kind in which artificial intelligence-based systems or techniques are used or developed. Reflection on AI ethics and responsibility can instead be part of the funded actions - if coherent with the scope and the requirements of the Call.
5. Projects mainly revolving around the design of a new Code of Practices on Citizen Engagement for Knowledge Valorisation in a specific innovation field.
6. Projects just exploring Responsible Innovation, RRI, or ORRI theory.

Applications proposing such activities as listed above will be rejected in the initial phases of the evaluation process, as they will be considered ineligible.

For the 6th REINFORCING Open Call, no more than 8 consortia implementing projects lasting 12 months will be supported with grants of up to 60,000 euros each. Please note that different durations of the projects (less or more than 1 year) are not possible and will not be considered eligible. Furthermore, please consider that all the funded projects will start on 15th January 2026 and end on 14th January 2027. No change in these dates can be negotiated.

Information on application procedures is available on the REINFORCING website, where the Guide for applicants, the Frequently Asked Questions, and the Checklist for Applicants can be downloaded: https://reinforcing.eu/open-calls/current-calls

Task description

Activities to address Responsible Innovation

Projects applying for the REINFORCING 6th Open Call should consist of several activities, examples of which could be proposed are listed below. Please note that the list is non-exhaustive and should serve as inspiration rather than a task list. Applicants can perform different complementary activities within the 12 months of the supported project, not necessarily just one particular activity. Potential activities:

1. Designing and/or implementing co-creation processes with citizens at large (or specific categories of citizens, e.g., patients) to develop innovative products, processes, and services for grand societal challenges and missions or in co-valorisation processes
2. Designing and/or implementing ORRI journeys (e.g., training and dialogue workshops) for innovators developing cutting-edge technological products and services
3. Implementing citizen engagement models (such as citizen juries or scenario workshops) to co-design strategic innovation plans and key innovation policies in collaboration with societal actors and citizens, at local, regional, or national level.
4. Designing and implementing responsible processes to manage innovations in research centers and universities (e.g., introducing and adopting Socially Responsible Licensing mechanisms and instruments)
5. Implementing the Societal Readiness approach to better align innovation trajectories with societally desired and needed goals and adapt to overcome undesired aspects of the proposed innovation

Furthermore, through the proposed actions, applicants must demonstrate how they intend to embed and institutionalize ORRI within their organisation or territory, in order to ensure long-term commitment to Responsible Innovation.

The MLE on Public Engagement in R&I reports, the Code of Practice on Citizen Engagement for Knowledge Valorisation, and the Code of Practice on the management of intellectual assets should be considered relevant sources of reference.

Topic description

Expected Outcome

For supported researchers:

• Concrete career prospects and increased career stability
• Access to diverse career pathways in and outside academia
• Deeper and more diverse set of research-related, academic and transferable skills and competences, leading to greater autonomy

For participating organisations:

• Better alignment of research and Human Resources practices, including recruitment, career accession and progression systems, at participating organisation(s) with the European Charter for Researchers and the Council Recommendation of 18 December 2023 on a European framework to attract and retain research, innovation and entrepreneurial talents in Europe and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment;
• Increased global attractiveness, visibility and reputation of the participating organisation(s);
• Stronger R&I and teaching capacity and output;
• Increased contribution to the local, regional and/or national socio-economic ecosystems;
• Stronger synergies across institutional research, management and teaching structures.

Scope:

The objective of this new scheme is to tackle brain drain and precarity of researchers' careers to make Europe more attractive to the most promising young talents. Applicants submit proposals for talent recruitment programmes that will provide researchers holding a doctoral degree with excellent research and academic opportunities, potentially coupled with management activities, to lead them to concrete and attractive career prospects. This will have an impact on the enhancement of human resources in R&I at institutional, regional, national or international level. These programmes will be co-funded by MSCA Choose Europe for Science.

The programmes will be divided into two phases. A first phase (24-36 months) in which the EU funding is equivalent to the minimum gross salary for the recruited researcher during this phase and a second phase (24 months) in which the applicant is expected to continue to employ the researcher, set salaries attractive at a national level and ensure availability of the necessary internal or external funds.

Proposed programmes can cover any research disciplines. The selection procedure for candidates must be open, competitive, merit-based and with a transparent international peer-review in line with the European Charter for Researchers^[1]. Alignment with the principles outlined in the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment^[2] is also encouraged. Selection criteria should be based primarily on excellence. Additional selection criteria require clear alignment with local human resources needs identified in the relevant institutional, regional or national strategies. These must be described in the proposal and must be listed in the vacancy notice (to be widely advertised internationally, including on the EURAXESS website^[3]) alongside the gross salaries applicable to the two programme phases (net salary + employee’s taxes and contributions). Selected fellows will be able to work in research, teaching or management positions and, where relevant, define their own research topic at their host institution(s). The programmes should aim at offering excellent working conditions to researchers, including salary, professional resources, and career development.

The career development should incorporate transversal skills but also job-specific skills and, where relevant, language courses to ensure that the training is in line with the career opportunities offered following the fellowship. These opportunities must include concrete and attractive long-term career prospects, such as pathways towards open-ended contracts, which can be subject to assessment and evaluation. There must be a fair, equal, inclusive, transparent, structured career accession and progression system providing access to these opportunities in line with the Council Recommendation of 18 December 2023 on a European framework to attract and retain research, innovation and entrepreneurial talents in Europe, the European Charter for Researchers in its annex and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment.

A Career Development Plan must be maintained throughout the period of the Choose Europe for Science programme. In addition to research objectives, this Plan comprises the researcher's career development needs, including training on languages, transferable skills, teaching, planning for publications and participation in conferences and events. The Plan should outline the projected career progression paths in the host institution.

[1] Council Recommendation of 18 December 2023 on a European framework to attract and retain research, innovation and entrepreneurial talents in Europe

[2] agreement_final.pdf (coara.eu)

[3] EURAXESS |

Topic destinations

MSCA Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (2023/24)

MSCA COFUND co-finances new or existing doctoral programmes and postdoctoral fellowship schemes with the aim of spreading the best practices of the MSCA including international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary research training, as well as international and cross-sectoral mobility of researchers at all stages of their career.

In practice, MSCA COFUND provides complementary funding for doctoral or postdoctoral programmes managed by entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Those co-funded programmes must follow MSCA’s good practice in terms of international recruitment and minimum standard of employment for the recruited fellows as described in the European Charter for Researchers.

Expected impact

Proposals under this Action should contribute to the following expected impacts:

• Enhance talent and knowledge circulation across the R&I landscape, through international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary mobility, including by supporting regional or national smart specialisation strategies when appropriate;
• Align practices with MSCA policies based on the European Charter for Researchers;
• Improve the attractiveness of researchers’ careers notably through better working and employment conditions;
• Strengthen Europe's human capital base in R&I by training highly-skilled researchers;
• Increase Europe's attractiveness as a leading R&I destination;
• Enhance the quality of R&I contributing to Europe's sustainable competitiveness;
• Establish sustainable collaboration between academic and non-academic organisations;
• Foster the culture of open science, innovation and entrepreneurship.