Seventh Framework Research Articles

Spanish participation in the social science and humanities research projects within the 7th European Union Framework Programme (2007-2013)

The objectives of this paper are to describe the Social Science and Humanities projects involving Spanish participation within the Seventh EU Framework Programme (FP7) (2007-2013), along with the scholarly output generated by these projects, and to compare the findings with the data from FP6 (2002-2006) in order to track their evolution. First, we determine the most significant characteristics of the projects with Spanish participation (duration, funding, topics, type of institution, etc.). Second, we analyse the scholarly production derived from a sample of projects taken from the Scopus database to analyse some bibliometric features. The results show an increase in the leadership and prominence of Spanish institutions, compared to FP6-SSH. In terms of scholarly outputs, none of the sources used (CORDIS, OpenAIRE and SCOPUS) allows a detailed study of scholarly production, although this output is characterized by articles written predominantly in English, published in first-quartile journals. Moreover, data showed that research funding for SSH may have long-term effects, with some outputs acknowledging funding being published a decade after the end of the project.

Communicating and disseminating One Health: successes of the One Health European Joint Programme.

The application of a One Health approach recognizes that human health, animal health, plant health and ecosystem health are intrinsically connected. Tackling complex challenges associated with foodborne zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, and emerging threats is imperative. Therefore, the One Health European Joint Programme was established within the European Union research programme Horizon 2020. The One Health European Joint Programme activities were based on the development and harmonization of a One Health science-based framework in the European Union (EU) and involved public health, animal health and food safety institutes from almost all EU Member States, the UK and Norway, thus strengthening the cooperation between public, medical and veterinary organizations in Europe. Activities including 24 joint research projects, 6 joint integrative projects and 17 PhD projects, and a multicountry simulation exercise facilitated harmonization of laboratory methods and surveillance, and improved tools for risk assessment. The provision of sustainable solutions is integral to a One Health approach. To ensure the legacy of the work of the One Health European Joint Programme, focus was on strategic communication and dissemination of the outputs and engagement of stakeholders at the national, European and international levels.

Relations between academic reputation and innovation networks

Previous empirical analyses have revealed the characteristics a university should possess to be associated with engagement in competitive international innovation programs. Within this context, this paper aimed to assess the importance of academic reputation in determining high-level participation in the most recently concluded European Union Framework Program (i.e., Horizon 2020). By considering three countries (i.e., Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom), and using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), we showed that academic reputation is a key condition among high-scoring universities above a certain threshold (i.e., top 25% organizations). This finding should lead to further research and has policy implications. It is essential to integrate better those organizations considered less prestigious into targeted, highly competitive funding schemes to foster more widespread, even participation.

Governing European educational research through ideas? Incremental ideational change in the European Union's Framework Programme (1994–2020)

AbstractThe European Union Framework Programme (EUFP) is the most institutionalised form of supranational thematic programming in the world and the centrepiece of European Union research policy. Since 1994, the EUFP has also funded collaborative research projects in the social sciences. Surprisingly, little attention has been paid to its genesis, development, and effects in shaping the development of European science, especially examined by discipline or multidisciplinary fields. The EUFP is thus analysed here through an instruments‐as‐institutions approach that conceptualises the EUFP as an institution. Content analysis of the official documents of each funding cycle (n = 5) and a sample of European‐funded educational research projects (n = 122) was analysed in conducting this research. The results show incremental ideational change of the EUFP's guiding ideas: from knowledge as an instrument to knowledge as a resource; within‐the‐EU to outside‐the‐EU internationalisation; and cooperation to an integration rationale of Europeanisation from the EUFP4 and EUFP5 (1994–2002) to the EUFP6 onwards (2002–2020). European‐funded educational research contents are shaped by such representations of what is expected of European research. If the policy instrument steers European‐funded educational research, ideas more than regulatory features significantly—though incrementally—change the direction of European social science.

Portuguese SMEs: Strategies for Collaborative R&D and Participation in the Framework Programme

The European Union Framework Programme can create and/or strengthen research networks and cooperation, namely between SMEs and higher education institutions. However, in Portugal, SMEs represent only 16,7% of allocated funds, falling below the European Commission’s target (Agência Nacional de Inovação, 2020). Low SME participation can result from factors particularly related to SMEs, such as organizational characteristics and past R&D experience. In fact, previous collaborative R&D experience is an important factor determining participation in Framework Programmes (Barajas & Huergo, 2010), suggesting a virtuous cycle. How and why do SME gain collaborative experience with HEI? In what kind of collaborative experiences with HEIs do SMEs engage? What are the characteristics of SMEs that engage in these experiences? What obstacles and risks do SMEs face when applying for the FP and which strategies do they adopt to face them? To answer these questions, we conducted an exploratory survey with SMEs that collaborate with HEIs (N = 26). Additionally, we conducted semi-structured interviews with three H2020 participant SMEs and three non-participants to further explore their collaborative practices and R&D strategies.

Universities of applied sciences’ EU research project participation through the lens of differentiation

Abstract In European universities of applied sciences (UASs), the intensity of research activities and the level of differentiation from universities vary across countries. We investigate whether the differentiation in the research function of UASs is reflected in their participation in the European Union Framework Programs for Research and Innovation (EU-FPs). We focus on the current and former UASs in four higher education systems with distinct levels of differentiation—the UK, Norway, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Our results show significant cross-country differences in the intensity and type of EU-FP projects acquired. The former UASs in the UK and Norway had a participation profile similar to that of universities. In more differentiated higher education systems, Swiss and Dutch UASs were more geared toward applied projects. Variations both across and within countries emphasize the importance of research capacities. Our results carry implications for how national and European authorities can foster UAS participation in EU-FPs.

Diagnosis of childhood febrile illness using a multi-class blood RNA molecular signature

Appropriate treatment and management of children presenting with fever depend on accurate and timely diagnosis, but current diagnostic tests lack sensitivity and specificity and are frequently too slow to inform initial treatment. As an alternative to pathogen detection, host gene expression signatures in blood have shown promise in discriminating several infectious and inflammatory diseases in a dichotomous manner. However, differential diagnosis requires simultaneous consideration of multiple diseases. Here, we show that diverse infectious and inflammatory diseases can be discriminated by the expression levels of a single panel of genes in blood. A multi-class supervised machine-learning approach, incorporating clinical consequence of misdiagnosis as a "cost" weighting, was applied to a whole-blood transcriptomic microarray dataset, incorporating 12 publicly available datasets, including 1,212 children with 18 infectious or inflammatory diseases. The transcriptional panel identified was further validated in a new RNA sequencing dataset comprising 411 febrile children. We identified 161 transcripts that classified patients into 18 disease categories, reflecting individual causative pathogen and specific disease, as well as reliable prediction of broad classes comprising bacterial infection, viral infection, malaria, tuberculosis, or inflammatory disease. The transcriptional panel was validated in an independent cohort and benchmarked against existing dichotomous RNA signatures. Our data suggest that classification of febrile illness can be achieved with a single blood sample and opens the way for a new approach for clinical diagnosis. European Union's Seventh Framework no. 279185; Horizon2020 no. 668303 PERFORM; Wellcome Trust (206508/Z/17/Z); Medical Research Foundation (MRF-160-0008-ELP-KAFO-C0801); NIHR Imperial BRC.

Genes of Predisposition to Childhood Beta-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in the Kazakh Population.

Today, acute lymphoblastic leukemia is one of the most common malignant diseases of the hematopoietic system. The genetic predisposition to ALL is not fully explored in various ethnic populations. The study aimed to conduct a comparative analysis of the population frequencies of alleles and genotypes of polymorphic gene variants: immune regulation GATA3 (rs3824662); transcription and differentiation of B cells: ARID5B (rs7089424, rs10740055), IKZF1 (rs4132601); differentiation of hematopoietic cells: PIP4K2A (rs7088318); apoptosis: CEBPE (rs2239633), tumor suppressors: CDKN2A (rs3731249), TP53 (rs1042522); carcinogen metabolism: CBR3 (rs1056892), CYP1A1 (rs104894, rs4646903), according to genome-wide association studies analyses associated with the risk of developing pediatric beta-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-cell ALL), in an ethnically homogeneous population of Kazakhs with studied populations. The genomic database consists of 1800 conditionally healthy persons of Kazakh nationality, genotyped using OmniChip 2.5-8 Illumina chips at the deCODE genetics as part of the InterPregGen 7 project of the European Union (EU) framework program under Grant Agreement No. 282540. High population frequencies of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) minor alleles identified for immune regulation genes - GATA3 rs3824662 - 42.5%; transcription and differentiation of B-cells genes - ARID5B rs7089424 - 33.1% and rs10740055 - 48.5%, which suggests their significant genetic contribution to the risk of development and prognosis of the effectiveness of B-cell ALL therapy in the Kazakh population. The significantly lower population frequency of the minor allele G rs1056892 CBR3 gene - 38.6% in the Kazakhs suggests its significant protective effect in reducing the risk of childhood B-cell ALL and the smaller number of cardiac complications after anthracycline therapy. The obtained results will serve as a basis for developing effective methods for predicting the risk of development, early diagnosis, and effectiveness of treatment of B-cell ALL in children.

Comparing the efficiency of technology and innovation of the EU and selected countries: the effects of EU framework programs

Objective: This study has two purposes. The first is to determine the relatively impact of EU framework programs (Lisbon Strategy to Horizon 2020) on the level of technological efficiency by comparing them with EU members and non-EU members selected countries. This paper also to compare technology efficiency of the EU member countries separately and as a union. The second is purpose to evaluate technological efficiency scores and the economic growth rates of the EU and the selected countries.Originality/Relevance: The relative efficiency of the technology and innovation of the EU was compared with other selected countries for 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2018 and evaluated. In previous studies, we could not find a study evaluating the long-term impact of the European Union's framework programs and its efficiency of innovation.Methodology/approach: For measuring efficiency, DEA method was used with two inputs and four outputs which is represented the technology and innovations.Main results: The evidence shows that the efficiency of the technology and innovation of the EU was quite low in 2000, and it has reached an increasing trend over the years and reached the full efficient in 2015 and 2018. The analyses which were done separately for 26 EU countries, the efficiency scores are relatively low among EU countries. It reveals that the EU provides a strong platform for R&D collaborations for creative destruction.Social/management contributions: The EU should continue to design promoting cooperation networks, frameworks programs to support stable economic growth patterns and long-term technology-based growth targets, considering the distinctive features of its economic system.

A Comparative Study of R&D Investments in Romania and the EU: Insights from Horizon 2020 Projects

Abstract Research and Development investments are critical to fostering innovation, driving economic growth, and achieving sustainable development goals. Horizon 2020 is the largest European Union research and innovation program, which has funded numerous R&D projects across different countries. This paper presents a comparative study of R&D investments in Romania and the EU, based on insights from Horizon 2020 projects. Using a composite indicator approach, we assess Romania’s performance in the R&D sector and compare it with other EU countries. The paper provides an overview of the number of projects and entities that participated in Horizon 2020, with a focus on the Romanian business sector. Our findings indicate that the success rate of Romanian projects is slightly higher than the EU average, and there is a significantly higher percentage of Romanian business sector entities that have participated in Horizon 2020 than in the EU. Moreover, some limitations of the Romanian R&D sector are highlighted, such as the low level of R&D expenditure, one of the lowest in the EU, and the low involvement of the business sector in funding R&D, despite being the primary sector under Horizon 2020. The comparative analysis sheds light on the opportunities and challenges for Romania in improving the performance of its R&D sector. By providing a comparative analysis of the performance of Romania and other EU countries in Horizon 2020 projects we can gain insights which can be useful for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners in developing and implementing policies and strategies to improve R&D investments.

Adaptation of a Scientific Decision Support System to the Productive Sector—A Case Study: MOPECO Irrigation Scheduling Model for Annual Crops

Despite the great number of models developed in research projects, only a small percentage have been successfully transferred to the productive sector. The PRIMA programme supported by Horizon 2020, the European Union Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, aims to reverse this situation. The SUPROMED project funded by PRIMA sought to develop an online platform composed of several models adapted to the requirements of end users for increasing the economic and environmental sustainability of Mediterranean agricultural systems. MOPECO, in its research version, was designed to maximize the profitability of irrigated farms in water-scarce regions. A simplified version of this model (MOPECO irrigation scheduling) was included in the SUPROMED platform for improving irrigation efficiency, providing farmers with a useful irrigation scheduling software. This paper shows the approach to adapt and transfer MOPECO to the productive sector. The tool was validated in three different demosite areas across the Mediterranean, involving local stakeholders in the design, validation, and dissemination of the software. The simplified tool reached similar or higher yields than farmers using less water. Thus, the average water saved was around 16%, while the average yield increased around 10% in the plots located in the three demosites of the project (Eastern Mancha in Spain, Bekaa valley in Lebanon, and Sidi Bouzid in Tunisia). This fact decreased the water footprint and increased the profitability of farms. The high applicability of the tool has generated interest among many technicians, farmers, and advisory enterprises. Furthermore, regional and national governmental extension services have shown interest in spreading the use of the tool across their territories, validating the methodology used for adapting and transferring a scientific model to the productive sector.

Feudalism, meritocracy and sexual harassment

Scientific literature has clarified that the contexts of more intense power relations favor sexual harassment and impunity. This article presents the results of a research that has analyzed a legislation aimed at combating sexual harassment that preceded six months earlier the selection and evaluation of faculty. The communicative research methodology followed the criteria of social impact and creation, which are currently required by the European Union research program. In addition to a documentary review, sixteen interviews were conducted, twelve with teachers who led the research that gave rise to these reforms and three with victims who managed to become survivors. The result shows an affirmation shared by all interviewees: the passing of legislation against sexual harassment weakened feudal relationships within universities and made members of the Spanish parliament aware of the need to overcome these relationships through meritocratic evaluation. This result can contribute to a twofold process: that feminisms support democratic and social reforms in universities and that those who elaborate scientific policies know that guaranteeing gender equality and overcoming sexual harassment is the way to promote scientific productivity.

Parties of the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe Programs as Participants in the Innovation Process

The purpose of this article is to analyze the functioning of the multilateral projects of the «Horizon 2020» and «Horizon Europe» Programs, to establish the peculiarities of the status and activities of their subjects. To achieve the goal of the scientific work and solve the set tasks, a complex of general scientific and special research methods was used: the method of analysis and synthesis, alternatives, comparative studies, classification. Research on this issue allows us to state that despite the fact that multilateral Horizon 2020 projects constitute a significant part of EU project funding, scientific research on this issue is insufficient. This is partly due to the lack of a structured analytical approach of the subjects of this Framework Program. In particular, the legal status of the National Contact Point, which provides informational and methodical support for the thematic areas of research determined by the European Commission (EC) for the EU research and innovation program «Horizon Europe», remains overlooked. Within the framework of this study, the experience of Poland, where there is a Polish National Contact Point for EU research programs, was introduced. It was determined that at the micro-level of IS there is a Program «Horizon 2020» or «Horizon Europe», which can act as projects (a network of participants who cooperate within the framework of a joint innovation project both at the national level and at the EU level) and as Partners (organization, consisting of a network or group of persons, or an individual participant, who cooperate within the framework of a joint innovation project both at the national level and at the EU level) is a certain level of the very structure of a multi-level innovation system (or IS of a higher level). The authors propose to make changes to the Law of Ukraine on Scientific and Scientific-Technical Activities. So, there is a proposal to add par. 3 to art. 66 regarding the status of a scientific institution that can act as a basic organization in which the National Contact Point of the European Union Framework Program for Research and Innovation «Horizon Europe» has been established.

Digital technologies of the intensification of international scientific and technical cooperation

The aim of the article is to form a number of recommendations based on the comparative analysis of digital consulting organization technologies in European countries regarding the organization of communication interaction between subjects of international scientific and technical cooperation in this area for the intensification of international scientific and technical cooperation in Ukraine. Analyses results. The article analyzes the technologies of digital consulting organization in European countries. For a comparative analysis, portals were selected that most successfully implemented the process of providing digital counseling using specialized national contact points for obtaining grants within the framework of such European Union framework programs as "Horizon2020" and "Horizon Europe", which are defined as the largest transnational grant researches funding programs in the field of international scientific and technical cooperation. The article improves the method of applying digital technologies to intensify international scientific and technical cooperation through the use of specialized consulting methods, which are aimed at Ukrainian participants in grant funding of scientific research, which allows to increase the level of involvement of Ukrainian science in the European scientific space. The practical significance of the research lies in the development of a proposal for the organization of communication interaction between the subjects of international scientific and technical cooperation in the field of the use of digital consulting technologies for the intensification of international scientific and technical cooperation in Ukraine. Conclusions and directions for further research. As part of the research objective, an analysis of the portals was carried out on which, based on specialized national contact points, consultations using digital technologies are implemented for the largest transnational research funding programs in the world - the EU Framework programs for research and innovation "Horizon 2020" and "Horizon Europe" for a number of countries, in particular: Belgium, Austria, Poland. The functions and responsibilities of national contact points in terms of providing digital consulting services and the functions and areas of responsibility of subjects of communication interaction of international scientific and technical cooperation were defined. Also, on the basis of the conducted research, connections and ways of interaction between subjects of communication interaction in the field of digital consulting were determined. According to the results of the comparative analysis, the specifics of the organization of portals of different countries were singled out and the advantages and disadvantages of the corresponding type of organization of portals in the context of digital consulting were determined. Also, based on the analysis, a number of proposals were developed to improve the effectiveness of the international scientific and technical cooperation of Ukraine, primarily in the field of grant support for research and development, the need to create a special national portal in Ukraine was updated, directions for the development of consulting, which should be implemented on the basis of such a portal, were determined. Prospects for further research. The obtained results open an opportunity to study the needs of Ukrainian participants (real and potential) to participate in grant funding of scientific research. Also, on the basis of the obtained results, directions for the development of targeted counseling can be identified to increase the level of participation of Ukrainian participants, including depending on a number of characteristics and parameters, such as the field of scientific research, scientific degree, region of the institution, etc.

Longitudinal phenotyping of maternal antenatal depression in obese pregnant women supports multiple-hit hypothesis for fetal brain development, a secondary analysis of the UPBEAT study.

SummaryBackgroundMaternal antenatal depression is associated with offspring psychological disorders, but obesity is also widely implicated in maternal depression and neurodevelopment. In pregnant women with obesity we explored interrelationships between antenatal depressive symptom trajectories and multiple exposures implicated in fetal neurodevelopment which could explain these associations, as a prelude to exploring associations with infant mental health.MethodsThe UK Pregnancies Better Eating and Activity Trial (UPBEAT) recruited multi-ethnic pregnant women with obesity (BMI >= 30kg/m2) between March 2009 and June 2014 from 8 UK sites and 1369 were included to model longitudinal antenatal depressive symptoms from Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores using Latent Class Growth Analysis. Classes were compared on maternal baseline demography, biomarkers of metabolism, inflammation and placental function, infection, diet and by pregnancy and birth outcomes. Odds ratios, mean differences and 95% Confidence Intervals were calculated using robust auxiliary modelling techniques.FindingsThe chosen model produced four classes: “Not Depressed” (n=575 [42%], “reference”), “Mild” (n=523 [37·5%]), “Moderate” (n=219 [16%]) and “Severe” (n=62 [4·5%]) symptom trajectories. Socio-economic deprivation and ethnic diversity were greater in Severe and Moderate classes. Dietary glycaemic load and saturated fat intake were higher in Severe and Moderate classes (at 17 and 27 weeks). Higher Interleukin-6, glycoprotein acetyls (17 weeks), glucose (34 weeks) and lower placental growth factor (PlGF, 17 and 27 weeks) was found in the Severe class. PlGF was lower in the Moderate class (27 weeks). Infection was least likely in the Not Depressed class across gestation. Risks of preterm birth were associated with Severe depressive symptoms (aOR 3·05[1·11 to 8·36]).InterpretationComprehensive phenotyping exposes important fetal exposures implicated in adverse neurodevelopment, differing by depression class. This study expands substantially on causal models of suboptimal fetal neurodevelopment and offers potential new targets for intervention in obese pregnant women.FundingJNS was funded by a PhD studentship from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy's and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London. UPBEAT was supported by the European Union's 7th Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013), project EarlyNutrition; grant agreement no. 289346 and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (UK) Programme Grants for Applied Research Programme (RP-0407-10452), Medical Research Council UK Project Grant (MR/L002477/1). Support was also provided by the Chief Scientist Office Scotland, Guy's and St Thomas’ Charity and Tommy's Charity (Registered charity no. 1060508). LP and SLW are funded by Tommy's Charity.

A Casino Gambling Model Under Cumulative Prospect Theory: Analysis and Algorithm

We develop an approach to solve the Barberis casino gambling model [Barberis N (2012) A model of casino gambling. Management Sci. 58(1):35–51] in which a gambler whose preferences are specified by the cumulative prospect theory (CPT) must decide when to stop gambling by a prescribed deadline. We assume that the gambler can assist their decision using independent randomization. The problem is inherently time inconsistent because of the probability weighting in CPT, and we study both precommitted and naïve stopping strategies. We turn the original problem into a computationally tractable mathematical program from which we devise an algorithm to compute optimal precommitted rules that are randomized and Markovian. The analytical treatment enables us to confirm the economic insights of Barberis for much longer time horizons and to make additional predictions regarding a gambler’s behavior, including that, with randomization, a gambler may enter the casino even when allowed to play only once and that it is prevalent that a naïf never stops loss. This paper was accepted by Kay Giesecke, finance. Funding: The first author acknowledges support from National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 11901494] and Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province [Grant 2019A1515011396]. The second author gratefully acknowledges support from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme/European Research Council [ERC Starting Grant RobustFinMath 335421]. The third author gratefully acknowledges financial support through start-up grants at both the University of Oxford and Columbia University, as well as through the Oxford–Nie Laboratory for Financial Big Data and the Nie Center for Intelligent Asset Management. Supplemental Material: Data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4414 .

AYUDAS EUROPEAS A LA I+D+I. LOS PROGRAMAS HABITUALES FRENTE A LA EXCEPCIÓN DEL NEXT GENERATION

The new European Union's framework programme for research and innovation, Horizon Europe, will run for seven years from 2021 to 2027. This programme is an excellent opportunity for European SMEs and large companies to strengthen their industrial capacities and improve their competitiveness through the collaboration in international R&D projects. This article aims to provide an overview of this EU long-term financing instrument that started in the mid-80s, highlighting its relevance for the industrial sector as the main European R&D funding mechanism.

Including the Oft-Forgotten: The Necessity of Including Women and Indigenous Peoples in Nature-Based Solution Research

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are a priority area for the European Commission. The European Union (EU) will fund projects on NbS under Horizon Europe, the EU's framework program for research and innovation (2021–2027). We argue that the Commission needs to fund more projects that actively include local communities in the development and implementation of NbS. Specifically, the Commission needs to fund projects that include two oft-forgotten stakeholder groups: women and indigenous peoples. The literature demonstrates that success of NbS is dependent on the inclusion of a variety of stakeholders and that indigenous peoples and women and girls are critically important stakeholders. As the inclusion of these stakeholders is vital to the success of NbS, funding projects that specifically include these stakeholders will help the EU to achieve two important policy goals: the goal to provide evidence for NbS and the goal to advance the development, uptake and upscale of NbS.

Polish Higher-Education Institutions in International Cooperation: Evidence from the European Union Framework Programmes

Objective: Polish higher-education institutions (HEIs) compete for European funds with excellent European universities that have comprehensive support systems for applying for research grants. This paper’s aim is to analyse the patterns of participation of Polish higher-education institutions in the 7th and 8th EU framework programmes, and their relationship with the characteristics of universities and national and geographical effects. Research Design & Methods: This article uses the CORDIS database for analysing data concerning projects financed under FP7 and the Horizon 2020 Programme. Findings: The literature emphasises the weak starting position of Polish entities in competing for international grants. The low results of Polish institutions in EU FPs might be due to many factors, including system and structural, institutional, and mental barriers. Implications / Recommendations: There is the necessity for a detailed examination of the determinants of the success of research proposals and the development of a system that will support strategic decisions on applying for grants at Polish universities in order to increase the absorption of EU funds. Contribution / Value Added: New legislation in Poland has forced universities to change their expectations towards academic staff in order to achieve the highest possible categorisation of disciplines and universities. Polish scientists are under pressure to publish their research in reputable journals. Therefore, it might be possible to observe a direct emphasis on application for research grants and timely settlement of projects in case of obtaining grants.

Thinking With Transnational Institutional Ethnography: Moving Towards Spatially Conscious Methods for Studying Geographically Dispersed People and Institutions

Institutional ethnography (IE) is a valuable ontological approach for investigating the coordination of social relations, both locally and trans-locally. However, much of the work utilizing IE remains within the confines of a local or national empirical field. This means there are limited accounts of IE exploring geographically dispersed institutions that cross borders and span regions. This paper makes the case for critically thinking and building on Transnational Institutional Ethnography (TIE). In it, I argue that TIE requires adapting the methodological toolbox of IE to deal with expanded geographic space and diverse bodily locations. By drawing on empirical work exploring scholarly participation in the European Union Framework Programs for research, tensions are illustrated that surfaced while working with TIE. In this discussion, I examine the ways in which interpreting an empirical field as a transnational institution, constituted of geographically dispersed people and organizations, caused a re-examination of the methods in IE to acknowledge institutional experiences shaped by diverse material surroundings and differing geopolitical locations. The paper argues that working with spatially conscious methods in TIE contributes positively to both fieldwork and analysis.