Reflections on EU projects

1. Reflections on EU projects Research in Technology-Enhanced Learning, Creativity, and Roadmapping Lampros Stergioulas SISCM, Brunel University

2. Overview • A historical walkthrough of projects in TEL, Creativity, and Roadmapping • Outlook of EU research funding – current perspective and future prospects • Reflections on EU bids

3. Overview of research projects

4. European TEL research: Home truths and family secrets • Past research (in TEL, & often beyond): • Delivery of TEL below its weight • High expectations, but low impact • Low return on investment, low exploitation • Disillusionment, disappointment • Failing so far to establish EU as a global leader • Good transnational research collaboration • But pan-European, transnational, trans-cultural TEL still elusive

5. European TEL research: Home truths and family secrets • What future for TEL research funding? • Current trend: A smaller share of a smaller pie; stock taking – New focus on large practice-based trials • Current & future funding squeeze • Politically too important to cut off funding • More focus on industry / exploitation of research • Need for new strategy / new approach to funding programme design • Foresight, Roadmapping, strategic planning

6. The beginning – how it started • 1996 Research Associate at Cambridge University – partly funded from an EU project • 1998 Joined a consortium in its making • 1999 First proposal – success! – UNIVERSAL project (Lecturer at the University of Manchester, then Lancaster) • €170,000 (overall project grant: ca. €5M)

7. The UNIVERSAL IST project • 20 institutions from around Europe • Big idea: A common platform to enable Europe’s Universities to share learning resources (still relevant!) • Great fun - Research into semantic web, ontologies, use of metadata, evaluation of e-learning resources • http://zope.cetis.ac.uk/content/20020823174106

8. The legacy of UNIVERSAL • Seminal project – relatively high impact • The Universal Brokerage platform powers the educanext.org portal • Spawned a variety of other projects on the management and sharing of learning resources

9. Roadmapping projects • IST Project 2002-2004 • European Roadmap for Professional eTraining – (Lancaster & Brunel) • IST Project 2003-2009 • Network of Excellence in Professional Learning • ESAEO Project 2007-2009 Social dialogue for the European Banking sector

10. My first role as coordinator • European Digital • Literacy Network • funded by the programme (2007) • www.estart-net.org • Proposal ranked 2nd out of 167 • Network, evaluation, roadmap • Total of €300,000 – largely underfunded

11. Recent & current projects • eContentPlus project (2008) • Interoperable Content for Performance in a Competency-driven Society www.icoper.org • eContentPlus project (2008) • Skill based scouting of open • user-generated and community-improved content for management education and training • DYRECT - Marie Curie Project (2010) • DYnamic Roadmapping with application for EduCation and Training (eval. 96/100) • Open Discovery Space – started April 2012

12. Recent projects • Future gazing Technology Enhanced Learning the roadmap for the unknown learning landscape • FP7 project, €2.2M • Brunel coordinates - 10 partners www.telmap.orgProvides direct input to TEL decision making • EC Negotiations: Despite a score of 14.5, tight race to the last minute

13. Web portal:learningfrontiers.eumaking the invisible visible Aprofessional web portal to monitor and support the research developments/achievements on and the results/impact in TEL. Current features offer: roadmapping space, landscape of researchers, project fact files, and stories of impact

14. Open Discovery Space - started in April 2012

15. Open Discovery Space

16. Open Education Europa • ODS is part of this initiative: • http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/20130925_en.htm • The Commission launched 'Opening up Education' to boost innovation and digital skills in schools and universities • (and address the “implementation gap”) • http://openeducationeuropa.eu • Technology and Open Educational Resources as opportunities to reshape EU education

17. New projects in C&I • FET-ART • explores the interaction between ICT and Art • (started June 2013) • Publicity in Vilnius ICT2013 event • www.ict-art-connect.eu • CRe-AM (Technology Enhanced Creativity) • Roadmapping for the EU creative industries – bridging the creative sectors with the ICT communities. • www.cre-am.eu

18. Creativity REsearch Adaptive roadMap (CRe-AM) Roadmaps for future research and innovation www.cre-am.eu This publication reflects the views only of the author/project consortium, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

19. Aim of CRe-AM Aim: to provide a collaboration bridge between the communities of ICT and creative sector, and to provide consultation and support to both ICT and creative sector stakeholders and communities via a long-term Roadmapping service with which they can actively engage The main target users will be: individual creators/workers and professionals, as well as SMEs, creative groups, communities, and organizations. www.cre-am.eu / info@cream.eu

20. Outlook of EU research funding • current perspectives and future prospects

21. The future

22. HORIZON 2020 objectives Industrial leadership SocietalChallenges Excellent Science • 3 key objectives • Integrating the knowledge triangle • Provides scientific and technical support to the European policy

23. ICT 2013: Create, Connect, Grow 6-8 November 2013, Vilnius ICT in Horizon 2020 the EU's Framework Programme for Research and Innovation for 2014-2020. Specific objectives: A meeting point for potentialproposers; A big policy conference; Understanding change from FP7. See: https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/ict-2013

24. Some reflections on EU research bids

25. Upsides and downsides • + (what’s in it for me?) • Fund your research • Research autonomy • Build interdisciplinary research • Meet a lot of good people – even if not successful, networking helps • Build broader, lasting collaborations & networks • Team up and work with the best • Take your research to an international level • It’s money for doing something that you like doing anyway! • Get to travel, go to conferences

26. Upsides and downsides • - (what will I need to avoid/ compromise with?) • Research too prescriptive • Communication can be difficult • Coordinator usually overloaded • Administration can be burden (and time consuming) • Get to travel too much

27. Observations on success • Clarity and consistency about your vision, pursue it methodically with patience, persevere in the face of failure • Big better than small! – organic approach • Make-up of team (spirit, coverage, capacity mix, size) – early team engagement • Coordination gives you far better control over the final outcome, but not for everyone • Negotiations are crucial decider • A successful proposal is quite different from a successful project (EU eval., recruitment)

28. Observations on EU bids • Fair game, reasonable success rates • No magic wand, no universal rules • Overall team effort • Management support/buy-in • Research admin support helps a lot • Early communication with EC • Project management • - not to be underestimated • - focus on substance, not on admin • - critical vs superficial

29. Reflections on research • Openness and collaboration is key: We can only get that far as lone scholars… • Team ethos: honesty, trust, sharing, open, supportive research environment, coaching & mentoring, but agile/loose/variable – a creative mess! • Good use of human resource – “factory of ideas” • Continuity: build on previous success

30. Reflections on academic success • International collaborations are important for success of a research University • Healthy community of PhD students is equally important for success • Funding is not that important for doing research (but it certainly helps!) – focus more on output, rather than input

31. Thank you Ahlia University, Bahrain 29/8/2013