Strenghtening the European Research Area
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This year has marked the first year of implementation of the renewed European Research Area. The Guild has participated in the coordinated university representation in the ERA Forum, where the Commission, member states and stakeholders (grouped in different categories) have discussed strategic issues related to ERA. But more importantly, The Guild was represented directly in several ERA Actions that focus on individual themes, ranging from Open Science to the empowerment of universities. The ERA Actions have opened new opportunities for us to speak directly to member state representatives in a coordinated way, to learn about their individual approaches, and to participate in co-creation efforts to formulate policies with them and the Commission.
Research careers
The Guild was a member of the Core Group that advised on the Agreement on reforming research assessment and the set-up of the related CoARA coalition. Our active contribution was acknowledged by the European Commission and the leading drafting team. We ensured that the Agreement respects universities’ institutional autonomy, does not create unnecessary administrative procedures and remains focused on its aim of a more accurate measurement of research quality and impact.
Reflecting the commitment of The Guild member universities to the fair assessment of research, The Guild signed the Agreement, but refrained from joining the CoARA coalition which we felt was not appropriate for us as a stakeholder organisation.
Knowledge and data flows
The Guild has pursued its commitment to facilitating knowledge and data flows. In April 2023, we expressed our strong support to the Swedish presidency of the Council of the EU and its leadership in negotiating ambitious conclusions on academic publishing. We welcome especially its clear statement that the rising publication costs became unsustainable for universities and worsened inequalities within and among them.
Likewise, The Guild has kept advocating for fair data access. We promoted our views to the members of the EP in charge of negotiating the Data Act. In May 2023, together with CESAER and LIBER Europe, we urged the co-legislators to preserve in the final text the amendments facilitating data access and reuse for research purposes.
Gender and Diversity
The Guild’s Gender and Diversity working group has continued meeting regularly to discuss issues including targeted fellowship programmes for women scholars, initiatives to inspire a more sustainable research culture, and tackling biases in academic recruitments. Building on previous discussions on this issue, The Guild also participated in a conference organised by the Czech Republic in the framework
of its Presidency of the Council of the EU in November, to discuss the actions EU umbrella organisations can take to challenge gender-based violence in academia. Finally, The Guild participated in the first meeting of a new ERA subgroup aiming to improve coordination of EU policies for gender equality and diversity in research.
Empowering Universities
The Guild has been proactive in feeding into the development of a European Excellence Initiative since 2019, when it published its first position paper after early dialogue with the Commission. This year, the Commission has pursued the plan to contribute to an initiative that would boost the R&I excellence of universities, and thereby their global competitiveness. The Guild fostered debates about the topic with several working groups as well as the Vice-Presidents and concluded that research excellence is best supported at the level of research teams. We also agreed that the Excellence Initiative could also foster capacitybuilding at the level of institutional cooperations, to respond to their strategic needs. All in all, as part of this policy debate The Guild affirmed its position as a network dedicated to the protection of scientific quality as the most important aspect of EU funding.
