Development of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda

In the first phase of the development of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), CSA Oceans conducted open stakeholder consultations and stakeholder workshops. These were part of the wider mapping exercise that CSA Oceans undertook in support of the development of the SRIA.

In May and June 2013, workshops were held which saw more than 50 invited stakeholders taking the opportunity to provide suggestions on how JPI Oceans can add value to national investments in R&D projects, specifically regarding human capacities and infrastructures at European level. In addition, the participants had the chance to inform about the gaps and knowledge needs that could potentially be relevant to JPI Oceans. Finally, the stakeholders took the opportunity to share their opinions on the different ways in which JPI Oceans can interface with other mechanisms that encourage European/international coordination and cooperation.

In a following phase, an online consultation open to all organisations, associations, projects and individuals alike was launched. The purpose behind gaining a wide range of perspectives was to better understand the diverse possibilities for JPI Oceans in enabling European-wide synergies.

Finally, a questionnaire was sent to the Research Funding Agencies and Ministries to identify the key challenges and opportunities for the future and to gather information on functioning and mapping of national R&D and innovation systems; science to policy mechanisms, and national research strategies and programmes. This part of the consultation was particularly important, not only to get input of the Research Funding Agencies and Ministries on the needs and gaps, but also to be used as a baseline for assessment at a later stage if JPI Oceans contributes to align the European landscape in the long-term.

In addition, CSA Oceans partners conducted desktop research to complement the outcome of the consultation. In doing so CSA Oceans partners focused on existing literature from relevant networks, initiatives, ERA-NETs and the European Commission. All of the resulting input is in the process of being analysed and is feeding into the development of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda of JPI Oceans.

The next phase involves close collaboration between CSA Oceans partners and the Strategic Advisory Board to present a draft Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda to the Management Board.

An overview of this work can be found in the publications listed below:

• Needs and gaps analysis in marine sciences to feed the SRIA
• Mapping of maritime research and innovation strategies and funding
• Identification of new and cross-cutting technologies and solutions to boost blue growth
• Mapping and preliminary analysis of policy needs for evidence
• Improving Science-Policy Interfaces: Recommendations for JPI Oceans
• Mapping and preliminary analysis of infrastructures, observation - data and human capacity building
• Needs and gaps in infrastructure and human capacity building to feed the SRIA

Furthermore the mapping efforts conducted by CSA Oceans have been integrated in the JPI Oceans website. In cooperation with EurOcean, CSA Oceans has integrated mapping efforts of marine research infrastructure conducted over the last years into one single repository, gathering information on 785 facilities. In addition, JPI Oceans has mapped the relevant national research strategies based on responses to the CSA Oceans questionnaire targeting national research funding agencies, ministries and public authorities in 2013. The resulting overview displays information on the implementing body, leading authority and time frame of every relevant strategy of the 15 countries responding to the consultation.

Foresight process

CSA Oceans outlined a proposal for a programmatic, thematically specific foresight process for JPI Oceans. This proposal describes the structure, governance and procedures of a foresight exercise, providing a blueprint which JPI Oceans may apply to any given topic area. By applying this blueprint to the field of micro-plastics, the CSA Oceans delineated how the process looks like in practice in the form of a CSA Oceans pilot foresight test run.

The test run is being used to develop a transferable model for identifying future research priorities for JPI Oceans in a transparent, inclusive and efficient manner. The model seeks to actively involve and engage relevant stakeholders as well as research funders to debate the strategic long-term orientation of marine and maritime RTD in Europe as a basis for devising integrated strategies for JPI Oceans.

An overview of this work can be found in the publications listed below:

• Foresight for JPI Oceans - Definition and review of relevant processes
• A programmatic foresight process for JPI Oceans

Framework conditions

The Council conclusions on Joint Programming of 2 December 2008 encouraged Member States, with the support of the European Commission, to consider how to best find common approaches to a number of issues, usually referred to as ‘Framework Conditions’, thought to be essential for an effective development and implementation of Joint Programming in research:

• peer review procedures;
• foresight activities (covered above);
• evaluation of Joint Programmes;
• funding of cross-border research by national or regional authorities;
• optimal dissemination and use of research findings;
• protection, management and sharing of intellectual property rights

As such CSA Oceans gathered information and analysed existing procedures and best practices for selecting, implementing and evaluating cross-border activities relevant to JPI Oceans needs and objectives. Consequently a proposal for the design, selection and management of joint actions has been developed.

An overview of this work can be found in the publication below:

• Proposal for procedures for design and management of joint actions
• Technological and legal barriers - Intellectual Property Rights

Pilot actions

In the framework of CSA Oceans a number of pilot actions were developed. Pilot actions are small-scale trials or test cases, limited in time and scope. They are implemented to demonstrate the added value of JPI Oceans as a coordinating and integrating platform. Pilot actions are not based on the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). They will rather test and provide potential templates for activities to be developed on the basis of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda.

Read more on the four pilot actions in the pipeline:

•  Multi-use of infrastructures for monitoring
•  Ecological aspects of micro-plastics in the marine environment
•  Ecological aspects of deep-sea mining
•  Intercalibration for the EU Water Framework Directive

Final conference

The first JPI Oceans conference (and the final CSA Oceans conference) presented on 7 May 2015 the JPI Oceans Vision and Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda, the JPI Oceans joint actions and the outcomes of the CSA Oceans project.