ERAC Plenary meeting, Dublin, 13 June 2013

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European Research and Innovation Observatory

Jocelyne GAUDINEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre

jocelyne.gaudin@ec.europa.eu

ERAC Plenary meetingDublin, 13 June 2013

Joint Research Centre (JRC)Serving society, stimulating innovation, supporting legislation

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Introduction

CommissionerMairé Geoghegan-QuinnResearch, Innovation & Science

PresidentJosé Manuel Barroso

27 Commission Members

DG Research & Innovation (RTD)Director-GeneralDominique RistoriJoint Research Centre

The JRC inside the European Commission

JRC’s role is to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of EU policies - see JRC website at http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc/index.cfm

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Introduction

The JRC was established 1957

• 7 institutes in 5 countries: Italy, Belgium, Germany,

The Netherlands, Spain

• 2,845 permanent and temporary staff

• Over 1,400 scientific publications per year

• 125 instances of support to the EU policy-maker

annually

• Budget: €356 million annually, plus €62 million

earned income

Where you can find the JRC

• Headquarters – Brussels

• IRMM – Geel, Belgium

Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements

• ITU – Karlsruhe, Germany and Ispra, Italy

Institute for Transuranium Elements

• IET – Petten, The Netherlands and Ispra, Italy

Institute for Energy and Transport

• IPSC – Ispra, Italy

Institute for the Protection and Security

of the Citizen

• IES – Ispra, Italy

Institute for Environment and Sustainability

• IHCP – Ispra, Italy

Institute for Health and Consumer Protection

• IPTS – Seville, Spain

Institute for Prospective Technological Studies

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Introduction

• Context

• Overall concept, mission and tasks

• Project state of play

• Perspective

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Context

• Need to address the lack of data & information

• Context of the European Semester & Country specific recommendations Lack of data Lack of up-dated data Lack of comparable data

• Contrasting with international key partners: • USA: Battelle Institute (up-to-date and forecasts)

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Context

• Need to improve the data collection• Evaluation of ERAWATCH 2: quality of information, but

some shortcomings:

Governance issues Outdated technologies Limitations of standard data collection & standard templates

• Formulation of recommendations for the Research and Innovation Observatory

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Context

April 2012 - Setting up of the European Research and Innovation Observatory

A core business of the JRC...• Scientific expertise, staff and computational infrastructure• Reputation of integrity and independence • Existing experience

... at the service of: • The EU: Commissioner, DGs (primary user: DG RTD)• The Member States and Associated countries• The general public: universities, researchers, companies, citizens

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R&I Observatory answers to address these needs

• Quantitative data: shortcomings & answers

• Multiplicity of sources: EUROSTAT, OECD, World Bank, WIPO,...

import and store datasets on the same place

• Fresh quantitative key indicators (GERD, BERD,...)

produce "estimates" (nowcasting methodology)

• Benchmark at international level

merge datasets to allow international comparison

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R&I Observatory answers to address these needs

• Qualitative data and policy monitoring: shortcomings & answers (1/2)• Needs for more and more precise information concerning policy

measures

ERA and IU Communications: around 160 "items"

MS16

Cross-border access to Research Infrastructures MS16_18

Share of non-national researchers (from Member States, Associated Countries and Third Countries) accessing RI of European Interest (Member States)

MS39

Recruitment, retention and career progression of female researchers MS39_37

Assessment of the degree of implementation of legal and policy initiatives and incentives related to female researchers' recruitment, retention and career progression, gender imbalances in decision making processes and the gender dimension in research programme

MS46

Open Innovation and knowledge transfer between public and private sectors MS46_46

Degree of adoption and implementation of national KT strategies focusing on KT between public and private sector (Member States)

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R&I Observatory answers to address these needs

• Qualitative data and policy monitoring: shortcomings & answers (2/2)

• Limitations of surveys, case studies Administrative burdenCostly and lengthy processConcerns on the reliability of replies

Challenge BIG DATA ...

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R&I Observatory answers to address these needs

• Challenging BIG DATA with most advanced technologies• BIG DATA:

Large amount + complexity + heterogeneity + unstructured

• Specific challenges: multiplicity of languages

DATA MINING and CONTENT ANALYSIS:New tools to capture and analyse UNSTRUCTURED data on timeEMM – European Media Monitoring experience – JRC IspraAccess to documents and text analytics (e.g. OSInt)

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R&I Observatory: a large scale knowledge infrastructure...

• Information system, incl. secure data warehouse

• Quantitative data collection and processing

• Qualitative data and policy monitoring, collection and classification

• Country and policy analysis

Country and policyAnalysis

Quantitativedata

processing

Information system

Qualitative data & policy

monitoring

An information system based on 4 strands

... based on 4 interconnected pillars:

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State of play

• Information system• Test and development environment available since

03/2013 (located in Ispra)• Prototype development work on-going

• Local data center under construction in BXL• Software and hardware acquisitions on-going• Estimated to be operational 09/2013

• Parts of development to be outsourced

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State of play

• Quantitative data: data retrieval

• List of reliable sources (Eurostat, OECD, others) and their links

• Library of indicators and search tools for navigating through them

• Automated update and collection of data and metadata.

• Visualisation of key data

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State of play

• In June for the past year. In Dec., for the running year

• EU Business R&D expenditure (BERD)

• EU R&D budget appropriations (GBAORD)

• EU R&D expenditure by Governments (GOVERD)

• Other estimates in study Sample prototype products with estimates of EU BERD and GBAORD for 2012

Dataprocessing

• Quantitative data: generation of estimates

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State of play

Estimate: example of the BERD

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State of play

• Qualitative data• Extensive list of web sites (Ministries, funding agencies,

specialised news, etc.) from EU Member States, Associated Countries and selected third countries

Communication with national practitioners (CIRCABC)

• Library of multilingual keywords for detection/collection (e.g. 'open innovation')

Communication with national practitioners (CIRCABC)• Monitoring and automated retrieval of relevant documents

from web sites• Annotation and processing in the Observatory Data Hub

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State of play

• Policy monitoring: work on key words

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State of play

• Policy monitoring: information retrieval

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State of play

• Analysis• Both at country and sector

levels

• 1st deliverable: country fiche: short – structured – simple & easy to read

• Prototype under construction• Medium term: sectoral

analysis (KETs, bio-economy, etc.)

Prototype Country Fiche• Country ID – main socio-eco. indicators• Key R&D financial flows• Framework conditions• R&D and Innovation process• External environment• Sectoral analysis

IRELAND

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State of play

• Concept developed from April 2012. Core team assembled

• List of main data sources and key datasets identified. Tests with automation ongoing

• Two test estimates produced for 2012 for EU (GBAORD, BERD), and one for 2012 US BERD

• Over 1800 sources identified for automated monitoring of developments relevant to R&I

• Prototype country-specific fiches being designed

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R&I Observatory main added value

• Consolidate access to data and analyses fragmented across many sources

• Address delays in availability of quantitative data

• Ensure instant/timely information about policy relevant developments

First brick towards a large scale infrastructure for knowledge about innovation and R&D

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Next steps

• Presentation to the outside world:• "estimates" methodologies (Eurostat, ECFIN, OECD)• components of data mining methodology (source book, keywords &

code book) – ongoing• "country fiche" prototype

• Identification of possible cooperation with countries planning to build similar tools

• Website release• EC internal website available since 04/2013• Production website planned for 10/2013

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Research and Innovation Observatory

Thank you for your attention...

Follow up contact:

JRC-RI-OBSERVATORY@ec.europa.eu