Empowering Open RRI with the EU-funded project PATTERN

PATTERN is a project funded under Horizon Europe, the European Union's 2021-2027 framework program for research and innovation.
PATTERN has a total budget of about 3.5 million euros and a duration of 3.5 years: it started on January 1, 2023 and will end on June 30, 2026.

PATTERN is focused on RRI and Open Science. As defined by the European Commission, Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is an approach that anticipates and assesses potential implications and societal expectations with the aim to foster the design of inclusive and sustainable research and innovation. RRI implies that societal actors (researchers, citizens, policy makers, business, third sector organizations, etc.) work together throughout the research and innovation process to better align both the process and its outcomes with the values, needs and expectations of society. Open Science is an approach to the scientific process based on open cooperative work, tools and spreading knowledge.

The overall objective of PATTERN is to promote Open RRI, through the development and piloting of training activities for researchers at all stages of their careers. The training activities aim to strengthen researcher soft skills and initiate a transformative and innovative process within research institutions to improve the quality and reproducibility of their research.  Moreover, the trainings will develop the ability of researchers to tackle societal challenges and hence improve the interactions between science and society.

The PATTERN consortium consists of 14 beneficiary partners and 5 affiliated entities from 13 different countries. The coordinator is the Agency for the Promotion of European Research (APRE). In general, all partners involved in the project have deep knowledge and experience in Open RRI.

Partners of PATTERN: Agenzia per la Promozione della Ricerca Europea, Aarhus Universitet, Globaz S.A., Fondation Européenne de la Science, Zentrum fur Soziale Innovation GmbH, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati di trieste, Learning Planet Institute, OpenAIRE AMKE, European Association of Research Managers and Administrators, Universita Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, Ruder Boskovic Institute, Stichting Scilink, Universidade do Minho

In the context of Open RRI, eight transferable skills, each covered by PATTERN Consortium partners, have been identified and will be object of PATTERN training activities:

• Open Access
• FAIR data management
• Citizen Science
• Research Integrity
• Gender, non-discrimination and inclusion in research
• Dissemination and Exploitation of results
• Science Communication
• Management and Leadership

The PATTERN work plan consists of specific and interconnected activities in four phases, in which UniSR will be involved at different levels:

1. Analysis and mapping of the state of the art of learning opportunities for researchers on Open RRI and consolidation of knowledge. UniSR is actively participating in mapping existing courses on the eight transferable skills.
    
2. Development of training courses on the eight outlined transferable skills and the online platform for course use (open to all). UniSR is thematic leader and responsible for the courses to be developed on research integrity and on gender, non-discrimination and inclusion in research; UniSR will also participate in the creation of training modules on Management and leadership.
    
3. Courses developed during phase 2 will be tested with PATTERN pilot organizations. UniSR will be pilot organization for courses dedicated to master's and doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers for the following topics: Citizen Science; Gender Issues, Non-Discrimination and Inclusion in Research; Research Integrity; Dissemination and Exploitation of Research Results; Communication of Science; Management and Leadership.
    
4. Development of a set of recommendations and policies addressed to authorities and institutions responsible for training researchers, in the light of the experience and knowledge gathered with PATTERN project. UniSR is involved in outlining these recommendations and policies, nationally and internationally.

UniSR's commitment to Open RRI with the PATTERN project is part of a broader plan: in 2021, a major organizational change was initiated in UniSR, with the creation of a completely new Area dedicated to Research Development with the aim of implementing strategic and innovative initiatives to support the development of UniSR's research excellence and contribute to the competitiveness of the University, with a focus on cross-cutting competencies (cross-cutting issues) and, indeed, RRI.

The development of the PATTERN project can be monitored through its online channels:

https://www.pattern-openresearch.eu/

https://twitter.com/PatternEU

https://www.linkedin.com/company/patterneu/