A newly published report assesses the impact of Widening measures in R&I.

Measures to widen participation are well designed but sustainable change will mostly depend on efforts by national authorities.

The European Court of Auditors has published the long-awaited report on Widening measures in R&I. The objective of the widening measures was to address the R&I divide and the recurrent low participation in the FPs by unlocking excellence in countries defined as being low-performing. The objective of this audit was to shed light on the design of the widening measures and highlight issues that may impair their successful implementation, particularly as they have been reinforced under Horizon Europe. The report concludes that the widening measures were well-designed to address the limited participation of widening countries in R&I framework programmes, but sustainable change requires efforts at the national level. Widening measures can only kick-start the progress of these countries, but they do not in themselves have the strength to create the changes needed in national research and innovation ecosystems.

According to the report, the Teaming and ERA Chairs programs are beginning to yield positive outcomes, particularly in terms of the number of publications, networking, and access to additional funding. However, they faced a number of challenges in implementation, such as securing complementary funding from sources other than Horizon 2020, recruiting international researchers and, most importantly, ensuring sustainability by generating income from the exploitation of research results. On the other hand, the Policy Support Facility’s ability to induce needed changes in national R&I systems was limited.

More info to be found in the official press release.