The present proposal is aimed at organising the Stock Taking international event dedicated to Science in Society projects and activities throughout the Sixth and Seventh Framework Programmes. The Conference will be organised under the Italian Presidency, and will take place in Rome (19-21/11/14). The event has been included in the official programme of the Italian Presidency, whereby an exchange of views on Science with and for Society issues will be addressed on the occasion of the Informal Meeting of Ministers of the EU Competitiveness Council, to be held in Rome. The whole event will consist of Conference sessions and two side events (Brokerage event and Art&Innovation Exhibition). The structure of the event has been tailored to fulfil the objectives defined in the topic of the call. Objectives: Garner analysis, recommendations and best practices of projects funded under the FP6 (SaS) and the FP7 (SiS). Offer a platform to discuss further developments in RRI framework; Federate the Science in Society Community; Present the international perspective of Science in Society projects over the 6th and 7th Framework Programmes, and reflect on the international dimension of Science in Society. The proposal is aimed at providing the EC with an overview of recommendations and best practices of the previous FP6-SaS and FP7-SiS, with the aim of supporting the implementation of effective strategic policies to face societal challenges during and beyond the H2020. The discussions among international experts will point to a number of best practices from which to take further ideas for European policies. The event aims at a target of 600 participants, among whom former Programmes and project coordinators, NCPs interested stakeholders from industry, universities, research organisations, civil society, NGOs, political institutions and European Foundations. The Conference will be organised around various SwafS activities.

The aim of the 24-months EFFECT project is (1) to enhance visibility and impact of FET research among a wide variety of actors - researchers, industry, policy makers, civil society organisations, citizens and students - and (2) to stimulate debate and collaboration among multiple stakeholders through dedicated community building and public engagement activities. EFFECT proposes an innovative and customized communication model that will be implemented by: i. screening sources, research projects and results on FET from FP7 and H2020, under the guidance of a scientific Advisory Board; ii. develop and distribute customized contents in different communication formats and channels through web, social and TV media; iii. stimulate public debate, collaborative learning, networking and engagement among multiple players of the FET domain through R& I infodays and brokerage events; policy-oriented workshops; webinars aimed to the on-going FET funded projects; general public engagement campaigns (European Researchers’ Night); iv. monitor the efficacy of the distribution mechanisms, measure and assess the overall generated impacts and elaborate a set of recommendations fostering the development of successful communication campaigns on FET. Customized synergies will be sought with on-going FET projects such as FET Flagships, FET ERANETs and FET CSAs, as well as European NCP Networks and Enterprise Europe Network. EFFECT dynamic and inclusive engagement methodology, as well as its broad and integrated approach on communicational content definition and distribution will improve transfer knowledge, increase awareness, enhance interaction with a larger public, promote dialogue among different target groups and foster the emergence of an innovation ecosystem around future and emerging technologies.

The MERIL-2 project aims to create an authoritative, exhaustive online source of scientific and policy relevant data on European research infrastructures (RIs) of more than national relevance. It addresses the work programme priorities of promoting the development and coordination of policy and international cooperation in the domain of RIs. MERIL-2 builds on the successful development of the original MERIL and research mapping exercise initiated by the ESF membership and which services ESFRI. MERIL-2 aims to achieve step changes in terms of: 1) The comprehensiveness of RIs identified in the portal from 900 to 1200+ and the full publication of those identified from 500 to 800; 2) The utility of the portal in terms of functionalities, analytical capacity and intermediation; 3) Stakeholder value in terms of policy relevant data including financial and human resource dimensions and coverage of RI mapping processes and tools in comparator regions. These objectives will be met through a synergistic partnership of three organisations; European Science Foundation (ESF), the Greek National Documentation Centre (EKT-NHRF) and Agency for the Promotion of Research (APRE), that harnesses the complementary strengths of advanced portal design, European member state communication systems and deep knowledge of the RI landscape and data acquisition requirements under the leadership of an expert advisory committee. On a practical level, the approach will include redesign of the portal with enhanced functionalities, expert/ESFRI and NDI consultations on policy data needs and parameters, a complementary review of RI data policies and strategies and policies including implications of policy data provision and resourcing a publishing completion function for non-responsive RIs. These actions will lead to an enhanced MERIL-2 portal with comprehensive coverage of the European RI landscape and high quality systems and data of stakeholder interest with flexible, open and user oriented interfaces.

The one of the main challenges for the start-ups is the lack of funding for their business ideas. And this situation forces them to seek funding from private sources and especially venture capital (VC) funds. Thus, start-ups seek to participate in Business to Investor (B2I) matchmaking events where they can meet investors and have the opportunity to present their business ideas and attract funding for their company through great presentation (“pitching”). Since the competition is very high, companies must prepare exhaustively their presence in such meetings. Start-ups tend to forget to present the important parts of the Executive summary, the presentation is missing crucial data, “elevator pitch” focuses on the wrong matters. Moreover, they need guidance from experienced consultants on how to present themselves better. To assist the start-ups, project partners aim to design a new service to facilitate investment readiness utilizing a new webtool for checking the company’s readiness and proposing an action plan for improvements.