Austrian ERA Symposium looks at future of ERA and potential ERA-NAP Actions Science for Policy and Research Management

On 21 November 2024, the second ERA Symposium took place in Vienna, uniting a broad range of actors from Austria’s science, research, and innovation community along with representatives from the European Commission and other ERA countries. The event was officially opened by Barbara Weitgruber (Director General, Ministry of Education, Science and Research), Henriette Spyra (Director General, Ministry of Climate Action, Innovation, and Technology), and Florian Frauscher (Director General, Ministry of Labour and Economy).

The morning plenary session included a presentation on the evaluation and progress report of the current ERA National Action Plan, highlighting a positive assessment of Austrian ERA governance and emphasising the crucial role of stakeholders in driving success in areas such as Partnerships, Open Science, and research careers. Manuel Aleixo from the European Commission gave an outlook to the future, sharing his three-fold concept for the future of European Research and Innovation (R&I) policy, which includes the ERA Policy Agenda (joint policy/reform action on a voluntary basis), a potential ERA Act (binding legislation on existing barriers in the ERA) , and the future Framework Programme (funding).

Keynotes then introduced the symposium’s two thematic focus areas: research management and science for policy. On the topic of research management, Simon Kerridge, a distinguished expert in this field, spoke about the multifaceted role of research managers, from sourcing funding to navigating complex topics such as open access and research ethics. Complementing these insights, industry and research organisation representatives discussed how strategic research management can translate research into market-ready solutions.

The call to action on Science4Policy included some thought-provoking ideas on the essentials of science advice, including the need for it to be evidence-driven, transparent, and relevant, and outlined the need for enhanced training for both advisors and policymakers.

The afternoon parallel sessions deepened the discussion on both focus areas. The research management sessions workshops first discussed what institutions can do better, focusing on strategic management’s role in successful research management. This was illustrated by a presentation on KU Leuven’s effective internal support and incentive systems. Second, workshop participants were asked about the community’s needs, highlighting issues such as better defining the profession of research managers, facilitating professional growth, and networking opportunities.

In the Science for Policy sessions, two panel discussions brought together experts from diverse institutional backgrounds, including the European Commission, researchers, practitioners, and representatives from the Austrian parliament and from administration. Participants emphasised the need to map the S4P ecosystem, clearly defining the roles of researchers, policymakers, citizens, and politicians, along with the varied purposes of academic, applied, and policy-relevant research entities. They discussed significant challenges such as bridging the gap between academic and policy-relevant research, overcoming strategic ignorance, and reconciling the different working logics of science and politics.

In their final remarks, Henriette Spyra and Barbara Weitgruber highlighted the pressure on Research and Innovation (R&I) in Europe right now, and the need for community-wide support, concluding with a call for action to collaboratively co-design the next ER National Action Plan and presenting it to the upcoming Austrian government.