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Joint Research Centre (JRC)

How the JRC works with EU Member States and research laboratories

28 May 2013Tallinn

Ulla EngelmannHead of Unit

Interinstitutional and Stakeholders RelationsUlla.engelmann@ec.europa.eu

Overall objective: closer cooperation with the EU Member States

To achieve this the JRC aims to:

• Strengthen links with EU Member States at political and operational levels

• Foster collaborations and strategic partnerships with public authorities, scientific community and industry (public-private partnerships)

• Prepare overarching agreements, encompassing priority areas for research for both the JRC and the partners in the Member States

Objectives of cooperation Objectives of cooperation with EU Member Stateswith EU Member States

Ensuring close contacts with EU Member States

• High-level interactions – DG/Minister/State

Secretary/Permanent Representative, incl. visits to

capitals

• JRC Board of Governors

• National Contact Points

• Research Working Party

• Direct contacts with scientists in national

academies, research institutes, universities, industry

R&D

JRC – Member StatesJRC – Member States

Role:•Sounding board and source of advice to the JRC in relevant processes•Board members provide a strategic link with the their respective countries and their administrations

JRC Board of GovernorsJRC Board of Governors

Composition:Composed of high level

representatives from each of the EU Members States, the and the Countries Associated to FP7

The JRC Provides:• Cooperation and partnerships with key

organisations• Support to enlargement• Training and mobility of researchers• Access to scientific infrastructures• Support to European Research Area

policies • Support to standardisation

JRC collaborates extensively with over 1 000 public and private organisations, institutions and worldwide:

Partners include:• Government departments• Government laboratories• Industry• Universities and research institutes

JRC: A networked JRC: A networked organisationorganisation

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• Joint research activities

• Exchange of information

• Common scientific papers

• Presentations at workshops

• Exchange of personnel

• Access to the JRC large scale research infrastructure

and databases

• Common conferences and events

Excluding any transfer of money

Joint ActivitiesJoint Activities

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Types of agreements:Types of agreements:Competitive Activities Competitive Activities

Competitive Activities (+140)• 15% of the JRC budget comes from Competitive activitiesJRC as a partner in FP7 calls• May involve work carried out at JRC facilities + access to the JRC’s

infrastructures and databases• Aim to form partnerships with major European players

Examples of JRC-Estonia cooperation:is a Network, which creates a screening procedure to identify and investigate human biomakers in cellular models

of long-term toxicity in human target cells. (Queretec, Tartu)

The overall objective of this project is to upgrade the present infrastructure into an operationally robust system and one for providing up-to-date and high quality access to

ocean and marine metadata, data and data products.(Tallinn University of Technology)

Types of agreements:Types of agreements:Collaboration Agreements, Memoranda Collaboration Agreements, Memoranda of Understanding, Letters of Intent of Understanding, Letters of Intent

Collaboration Agreements, Memoranda of Understanding, Letters of Intent (+200)

Activities may include joint research, information sharing and exchange of personnel

Examples of JRC-Estonia cooperation:European programme for life-long learning and training of practitioners of chemical measurements in metrology in chemistry, related to the metrological requirements of ISO/IEC-17025 for chemical and bio-analytical measurements in many different sectors. (University of Tartu)

Collaboration agreement on nuclear emergency informationNuclear emergency information exchange with EU Member States under Council Decision 87/600/Euratom. (Radiation Safety Department)

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Types of agreements:Types of agreements:Scientific networks Scientific networks

Scientific networks (+ 60 scientific networks ; +350 partner organisations) Essential for the JRC’s work on harmonising and validating methods and measurements, establishing common standards, and providing scientific and technical support for the implementation of EU legislation

Examples of JRC-Estonia cooperation:European Network of GMO Laboratories (ENGL)This network solves the technical and analytical problems which laboratories face in food and the environment. It aims to harmonise Member State approaches in relation to genetically modified organisms. (Estonian Research Institute of Agriculture and National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics)

• The JRC and the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC) signed a Letter of Intent on 18 October 2011. Aim: closer links between EU national science academies and the European Union’s policy-making process.• First JRC-EASAC joint report "Impact of engineered nanomaterials on human health: considerations on benefit-risk assessment" presented in October 2011.• A working group on nuclear safety - well advanced and a workshop will be held in February 2013 with the aim to develop guidelines to support the implementation of the Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management Directive.

• The JRC and the European Council of Academies of Applied Sciences, Technologies and Engineering (Euro-CASE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 12 November 2012. • Initial areas of collaboration identified: energy, innovation, transport and mobility, education and training and the improvement of public understanding of technology and its impact on society.

Working with Working with Strategic partnersStrategic partners

4 vertical priorities

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Building on its expertise, the JRC aims to provide a strong scientific support to the EU Strategy for the Danube Region endorsed by the European Council in June 2011.

Scientific Support to Scientific Support to macro-regional strategiesmacro-regional strategies

4 thematic flagship clusters:•Danube Water Nexus•Danube Land and Soil Nexus •Danube Air Nexus•Danube Bioenergy Nexus

2 horizontal flagship clusters:•Danube Reference Data and Service Infrastructure•Support the development of research and innovation strategies for ‘Smart Specialisation

High-level event on the Scientific Support to the Danube Strategy16 May 2013, Bratislava

1 horizontal priority• European

governance!

Strengthening support to European economy and industrial competitiveness

Examples of JRC activities: European Forum for Science and Industry Smart Grids and Electromobility Energy Efficiency Life Cycle Assessment Resource Efficiency European Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Bureau

JRC working with JRC working with IndustryIndustry

European Forum for Science and Industry

strengthening the dialogue and cooperation with European industry in key sectors for European competitiveness in a regular and structured way

600 members from public institutions, private companies, the scientific community, Universities, European associations, industrial organisations…

Tools:-Initiatives-Roundtable-Newsletter-Bilateral meetings with high-level stakeholders/technical meetings-Cooperation on specific projects

European Forum for European Forum for Science and IndustryScience and Industry

The JRC collaborates with science organisations world-wide, including many universities, in order to assure awareness of the latest scientific developments and the collection of the best scientific evidence.

In the framework of the European Forum for Science and Industry, JRC hosted in Brussels a Round Table on "JRC-Universities: How to increase the contribution of Universities to Science and Innovation".

JRC and UniversitiesJRC and Universities

Pilot initiative - JRC Science Parks Initiative:• 21-22 February 2013, a first thematic event on

nano-toxicology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

• 20-21 March 2013, a second event on smart grids at the Technical University of Munich (TUM)

TTO CIRCLE - testing new methods of cooperation - widening the debate to universities to pave the way towards a more innovative and competitive Union!

National Reference Laboratories are an essential tool for the proper implementation of the official controls and must:•- work in accordance with internationally approved

performance standards and thus,•- use methods of analysis that have, as far as possible, been validated.

European Union Reference Laboratories- Ensure validated methods are available;- Ensure reference materials are available;- Organise comparative testing;- Organise training;- Do not exercise controls but may intervene in cases of dispute.

Controlling Authorities

Uniformity and Quality of Analytical

Results

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Why NRLs-EURLs?Why NRLs-EURLs?

European Union Reference Laboratories managed by the JRC

¹ JRC-IHCP ² JRC-IRMM

• Genetically modified organisms ¹

• Food contact materials ¹

• Feed additives ²

• Heavy metals (Trace elements) ²

• Mycotoxins ²

• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ²

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• JRC collaboration with Estonian Partners

• 11 Framework Projects (nanomaterials, agriculture, marine, water management, alternative testing methods, human biomonitoring, toxicity, pharmaceuticals)

• 20 Scientific Networks (analytical chemistry, air quality, GMOs, freshwater research, radioactivity environmental monitoring, food contact material, chemical substances, biocides)

• 5 Collaboration agreements (nuclear emergency information, air quality, freshwater research, metrology in chemistry)

• 5 Estonian nationals are working at the JRC

JRC cooperation with EstoniaJRC cooperation with Estonia

www.jrc.ec.europa.eu Contact: jrc-info@ec.europa.eu

Serving societyStimulating innovationSupporting legislation

Joint Research Centre (JRC)

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