What does Horizon 2020 mean for research libraries? | LIBER

Finally, it’s out! If you have been paying attention to European Commission activities, you will have noticed that the Horizon 2020 (H2020) work programme has been released. 

Designed to boost Europe’s knowledge driven economy, H2020 will provide a whopping €15 billion worth of funding for research and innovation activities in Europe and beyond over the next two years.

What does this mean for LIBER members?

We believe that libraries are at the centre of a knowledge driven economy.

European funding has been an important aid to LIBER libraries as they work to develop innovative services and infrastructures that support researchers in creating world class research.

In the 8 projects that LIBER was involved in under the previous funding programme, FP7, nearly 10% of LIBER’s members (around 35 libraries) were partners. They worked on diverse activities such as the digitization of cultural heritage, digital preservation, research data sharing, open access policies and the interoperability of research infrastructures. We’d like to see even more libraries participating under H2020.

H2020 offers libraries the opportunity to further embed themselves with the European research infrastructure. It will also help shape e-infrastructures so that libraries can continue supporting researchers and new research paradigms in the most efficient and effective way possible.

Where are the opportunities for libraries in the individual H2020 work programmes?

Several of the H2020 work programmes offer interesting opportunities for libraries to bid for H2020 funding. The ICTwork programme addresses cloud computing (development, federation, and trust) and open data platforms, all of which holds some relevance for libraries who are concerned with preserving and providing access to data in trusted environments. Future and Emerging Technologies seeks innovation proposals in support of the integration of data.

Inclusive, Innovation and Reflective Societies offers a number of opportunities in the area of cultural heritage. Libraries in less well developed European countries should also consider how the Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation work programme could help them to facilitate knowledge transfer.

Probably the two most exciting programmes, and certainly the most relevant to the LIBER strategy, are the inter-related European Research Infrastructures and Science with and for Society.

With a strong emphasis on supporting data innovation in research and science through the development and integration of supporting infrastructures and policies, there are several areas in these work programmes where libraries could contribute and where tangible benefits are to be gained from the outcomes of the work itself.

Under EINFRA-1-2014 there may be opportunities for libraries to contribute to work on support for data management plans. EINFRA-2-2014 presents the opportunity to build on the open access infrastructure work done under FP7. LIBER will be actively seeing partners interested in taking part in EINFRA-7-2014 – Provision of core services across e-infrastructures.

Further down the line, in 2015, EINFRA-9-2015 – e-Infrastructures for virtual research environments (VRE) could help libraries who wish to support research and data use and reuse in virtual environments. Most exciting of all from the LIBER perspective is INFRASUPP-3-2014 – Strengthening the human capital of research infrastructures which seeks to promote the role of the data librarian by developing education and training. This work is of utmost importance for libraries who are currently providing support services for Research Data Management but who are having to address the issue of the lack of skilled professionals. Given that the H2020 data pilot will increase the demand for Research Data Management support, this call will be of huge interest and benefit to the library community.

How do I get involved?

The first step is to read the work programmes. If you are interested in putting a bid together or have questions related to H2020 you should contact your National Contact Point. There’s also lots of guidance and support in the European Commission’s Participant Portal.

You could also register yourself as an expert to work on the evaluation of H2020 proposals and projects!

LIBER members will also have the opportunity to participate in bids being assembled by the LIBER office. We’ll keep you informed through the LIBER-ALL mailing list (for members only) and will help put LIBER members in contact with other project consortia, as opportunities arise.

Source: http://www.libereurope.eu/blog/what-does-horizon-2020-mean-for-research-libraries