RRIstart responds to the EU efforts to foster impact investment (investment that delivers social, environmental and economic benefits) by developing an innovative RRI-based model for startups, complemented by an RRI-based impact investment indicator list in a multi-stakeholder (beyond quadruple helix) context. Through RRIstart, the consortium aims to demonstrate the value of RRI for the STEM entrepreneurship ecosystem. At the moment, startups and investors do not adopt existing RRI principles and indicators due to the limited compatibility of existing RRI models (tailored mostly for large organizations). Nevertheless, by adopting a lean/agile approach to RRI embedment, RRIstart proposes a novel RRI model for startups blended with novel RRI-based impact investment indicators. RRIstart tests the developed innovation through a translational piloting approach (from lab to market). Three pilots will be organized (on environmentally sustainable startups from Northern Europe, 3D printing & advanced materials in Italy and bioeconomy (agrifood) in Greece). In each pilot, extended quadruple helix actors will be involved in order to assess the feasibility of embedding RRI in startups and to facilitate (public and private) impact investment through the RRI-based indicator set. By adopting a multi-disciplinary approach in a multi-sectoral STEM context, RRIstart will update the SwafS knowledge base through the following: contributing to 9 MoRRI indicators and 9 SDGs; boosting societal engagement towards STEM startups; fostering the recruitment of talent for STEM startups; pairing scientific excellence with social awareness and responsibility by facilitating RRI-based startups and impact investment; creating new market opportunities; bring society closer to science and innovation through impact investment (show-casing the clear benefits of societal engagement in innovation development); and overall, making EU startups and investors more RRI-aware.

GenderSAFE advances efforts to implement a zero-tolerance approach to gender-based violence in higher education and research in the European Research Area. Its overall objective is to contribute to building safe, inclusive, and respectful research and higher education. This will be realised through building capacities, mutual learning and exchange, setting up instruments to monitor the uptake and content of Research Performing Organisation (RPO) policies and promoting uptake of policies at the level of the national authorities and Research Funding Organisations (RFOs). This overall objective will be achieved through a five-fold strategy comprising: • Increasing robustness of zero-tolerance policies by building a common policy discourse in the EU reflecting state-of-the-art theoretical debates, including attention to power and intersectionality, mobility and precarity, • Facilitating the uptake and ownership of a zero-tolerance approach to gender-based violence policies through mutual learning, exchange, and co-design in a Community of Practice, involving multiple circles of various types of stakeholders, • Building institutional capacities to set up and implement gender-based violence policies through training of responsible staff and officers, • Creating a knowledge base on the uptake and contents of zero-tolerance policies at RPOs in the EU through a data collection and monitoring system, • Raising awareness and creating uptake through carefully designed communication, dissemination, and advocacy activities.

The CASPER project, in response to the SwafS-11-2019 call, aims at examining the feasibility of establishing a European award or certification system for gender equality in research organisations. On the basis of an in-depth assessment of existing relevant systems, the project proposes to devise and validate four scenarios, including a no-action scenario, in co-creation with national and international stakeholders. Each scenario will be examined via a walk-through methodology to understand their respective strengths/weaknesses, costs/benefits, other positive/negative impacts or their contextual relevance, and subsequently validated with stakeholders. The project will focus predominantly on gender-related inequalities in research and innovation, and will incorporate an intersectional perspective where possible. It will take place over a 2-year period, and consider not only the EU and its Member States but also relevant countries for gender equality certification/award systems such as NO, IS, CH, US or AU.

The CITADELS project aims to contribute towards transforming the 7 widening countries represented in the Project into CITADELS of human-centric Industry 5.0 development. The Project brings together a consortium of 10 partners from 9 countries, including 4 large academic institutions that are highly influential within their innovation ecosystems, 3 exemplary DeepTech companies, and 1 science and technology park, where academia meets industry to make innovations happen and grow into the business. Additionally, CITADELS is supported by the 2 EU-leading partners to bring know-how in cross-sectoral collaboration, to ensure stakeholder engagement and pan-European impact (EIT Manufacturing), and to introduce a sustainable, responsible research and innovation approach (K&I). CITADELS combines the excellence of DeepTech talents and social scientists to comply with EC’s “ERA industrial technologies roadmap on human-centric research and innovation for the manufacturing sector” to ensure sustainable DeepTech careers and the progress of DeepTech. The CITADELS project seizes the opportunity presented by recent investments in advanced public R&I infrastructure and the growing demand for DeepTech expertise across Europe to combat the brain drain in widening countries. By aligning academic research excellence with industry needs, CITADELS focuses on talent circulation (20 research talents and 20 R&I support talents will be involved as a whole), creating attractive career pathways in DeepTech and building the capacity of local ecosystems to adopt cutting-edge technologies. This project will support translating research into high-value industrial applications and position widening countries as competitive players in the global DeepTech landscape. Ultimately, CITADELS will boost regional economic resilience and foster social cohesion by modernizing local industries and creating high-value jobs, driving long-term economic growth and resilience in widening countries.

GRACE aims to contribute to the EC objective of spreading and embedding Responsible Research and Innovation in the European Research Area through the development of a set of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound) Grounding Actions (GAs) in six RFPOs leading to fundamental RRI-oriented institutional changes during the project. For each RFPO, the GAs will be incorporated in a 8-year long “Roadmap towards RRI” to set a solid platform for attaining further institutional changes during the ‘after GRACE’ 5 year of the roadmap. The project will develop in a co-creating environment, via an intense mutual learning programme including the 6 partners implementing the GAs (implementing organisations) and the 4 partners assisting with their comprehensive expertise on RRI (co-operating organisations). A suited evaluation and impact assessment scheme will be developed to oversee and monitor the project processes and impacts, applying MoRRI and SDGs indicators, and SwafS KPIs. The project will consist of 1, Preparatory phase (M1-M10) designing the GAs and defining the six Roadmaps for the implementing organizations; 2, Development and mutual learning phase (M11-M34) where the GAs will be implemented; and 3, Stocktaking phase (M30-M36) ensuring the long-term (after project) sustainability of GAs and the preparation of a Guidance to support the implementing organization to successfully pursue the work outlined in the Roadmaps. A well-substantiated management system, and set of communication and dissemination activities will ensure smooth project implementation. GRACE is composed of 8 WPs: WP1 Ethics; WP2 Management; WP3 Governance and mutual learning; WP4-5-6 GAs related to citizen engagement in science, science education and open access, and gender equality, research ethics and integrity, respectively; WP7 Evaluation and Impact Assessment of GAs; WP8 Outreach, communication, dissemination and exploitation. The project involves 10 partners from 9 EC member states.