Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

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| CALL FOR EVIDENCE  FOR AN EVALUATION / FITNESS CHECK | |
| This document aims to inform the public and stakeholders about the Commission's work, so they can provide feedback and participate effectively in consultation activities.  We ask these groups to provide views on the Commission's understanding of the problem and possible solutions and to share any relevant information that they may have. | |
| Title of the evaluation | Final evaluation of the ‘EUROSTARS2 Programme’ |
| Lead DG – responsible unit | DG RTD – A5 |
| Indicative timetable  (planned start date and completion date) | Commission Report-evaluation accompanied by a SWD.  Report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the final evaluation of the -art 185 EUROSTARS 2 Programme |
| Additional information | Q4-2022 |
| This document is for information purposes only. It does not prejudge the final decision of the Commission on whether this initiative will be pursued or on its final content. All elements of the initiative described by the document, including its timing, are subject to change. | |
| A. Political context, purpose and scope of the evaluation | |
| Political context | |
| The Eurostars 2 Article 185 initiative is a public-public partnership (P2P) established on a voluntary basis by EU Member States and is eligible for a substantial financial contribution from the EU Research Framework Programme. It was established through the EU ordinary legislative procedure and require a Dedicated Implementation Structure. By legislation it appears under Article 185 TFEU (ex Article 169 TEC). The participation of the EU was formally acted through the Decision No 553/2014/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 ("Eurostars-2 Decision"). The decision entered into force on 27 June 2014. Eurostars 2 aims at addressing common challenges in specific research areas by creating economies of scale and synergies between national and EU research programmes and investments. The ambition is to achieve scientific, managerial and financial integration amongst national research programmes in a given field.    This initiative is based on the HE Regulation/ IA and aligns the mechanism in situ/ in operation with the legal base, results of market prospection leading to a long-term sustainable solution.    This partnership is one of three partnerships based on Article 185 TFEU that have evaluations coming up by the end of 2022 accompanied with a SWD. The concerned partnerships are:  1.    Active and Assisted Living Research and Development Programme (AAL2) (final evaluation)  2.    Eurostars-2 (final evaluation)  3.    PRIMA - Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (first interim evaluation)    The Decision of the European Parliament and the Council on the Union’s participation in this Article 185 initiative Eurostars-2 Joint Programme ("Eurostars-2") under Horizon 2020 foresaw that the European Commission shall carry out this final evaluation by 31 December 2022. | |
| Purpose and scope | |
| Scope of the Evaluation..  The European Union supported financially the Eurostars-2 Programme, with maximum € 287 million for the period 2014-2020, coming from the Horizon 2020 budget allocated to "Innovation in SMEs" (Industrial Leadership pillar). Whereas the Eurostars 2 calls were programmed until and including 2020, the EC payments from the allocated budget will continue until 2025.  The purpose of this Evaluation study Eurostars 2 is to feed into the ex-post evaluation of Horizon 2020, due end 2023. The study will evaluate and identify what worked well and what did not work well, lessons to be learned and recommendations on how the Framework Programme can be improved for the short and longer term. The results of the evaluation will translate in a report and make recommendations for future similar initiatives to support innovative SME’s, based on available relevant evidence, covering all aspects of the interim evaluation as set out in the legal basis and respecting the ‘better regulation’ guidelines of the Commission. | |
| B. Better regulation | |
| Consultation strategy | |
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| Why we are consulting? | |
| Consulting stakeholders and collecting evidence on the performance of the Eurostars 2 programme is part of a dedicated ‘Innovative Europe’ evaluation study in the context of the research and innovation framework programme evaluation strategy (2019-2024). This study follows the new evaluation approach which bundles together and coordinates all evaluation studies on Horizon 2020/Horizon Europe. The Innovative Europe study covers the final evaluation of Horizon 2020 and the interim evaluation of Horizon Europe, including relevant partnerships under Horizon 2020.  In line with the European Commission’s ‘better regulation’ policy to develop initiatives informed by the best available knowledge, we invite scientific researchers, as well as academic organisations, learned societies, and scientific associations with expertise in the technical and policy fields linked to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) performing research and development (R & D) and wishing to work together transnationally, to submit relevant published and pre-print scientific research, analyses and data. We are particularly interested in submissions that synthesise the current state of knowledge in relevant field(s). | |
| Target audience | |
| Targeted consultations will be conducted by the contractor of the Innovative Europe study. The consultation activities will focus on the main stakeholders such as representatives of the EUREKA Association, members of national funding bodies, staff of the Eureka Secretariat, Commission staff and beneficiaries of Eurostars 2.  The findings of the consultations will be integrated in the final evaluation report and made available to stakeholders and the public on the Commission’s website. | |
| Data collection and methodology | |
| The evaluation will build on data collected in the previous evaluations and reports of the Eurostars Joint Programme. Two complimentary case studies will be used to support the study and explore areas of particular interest. One case study focuses on the varying participation rates between the different participating countries and the causality behind this phenomenon. The second case study studies the varying performance of the National Funding Bodies of the different participating states and the reasons for the variations.  The final Eurostars-2 evaluation follows a mixed-method approach by combining quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods. Desk research is a starting point to get the first insights on the Eurostars-2 joint programme. In addition, information was enriched by expert interviews with relevant stakeholders. Also monitoring data provided an additional source of evidence on the actual results and impact of the Eurostars-2 programme. Moreover, findings from the Interim Evaluation and the above mentioned Eurostars-2 case studies, give additional insights. | |

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