Joint Research Centre (JRC)
How the JRC works with EU Member States and research laboratories
28 May 2013
Tallinn
Ulla Engelmann
Head of Unit
Interinstitutional and Stakeholders Relations
Ulla.engelmann@ec.europa.eu
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Objectives of cooperation
with EU Member States
Overall objective: closer cooperation with the EU
Member States
To achieve this the JRC aims to:
• Strengthen links with EU Member States at
political and operational levels
• Foster collaborations and strategic partnerships
with public authorities, scientific community and
industry (public-private partnerships)
• Prepare overarching agreements, encompassing
priority areas for research for both the JRC and
the partners in the Member States
JRC – Member States
Ensuring close contacts with EU Member States
• High-level interactions – DG/Minister/State
Secretary/Permanent Representative, incl. visits to
capitals
• JRC Board of Governors
• National Contact Points
• Research Working Party
• Direct contacts with scientists in national
academies, research institutes, universities, industry
R&D
JRC Board of Governors
Role:
• Sounding board and source of advice to the JRC in relevant processes
• Board members provide a strategic link with the their respective
countries and their administrations
Composition:
Composed of high level
representatives from each
of the EU Members States,
the and the Countries
Associated to FP7
JRC: A networked
organisation
JRC collaborates extensively with over 1 000 public and
private organisations, institutions and worldwide:
Partners include:
• Government departments
• Government laboratories
• Industry
• Universities and research institutes
The JRC Provides:
• Cooperation and partnerships with key
organisations
• Support to enlargement
• Training and mobility of researchers
• Access to scientific infrastructures
• Support to European Research Area
policies
• Support to standardisation
Joint Activities
• Joint research activities
• Exchange of information
• Common scientific papers
• Presentations at workshops
• Exchange of personnel
• Access to the JRC large scale research infrastructure
and databases
• Common conferences and events
Excluding any transfer of money
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Types of agreements:
Competitive Activities
Competitive Activities (+140)
• 15% of the JRC budget comes from Competitive activities
JRC as a partner in FP7 calls
• May involve work carried out at JRC facilities + access to the JRC’s
infrastructures and databases
• Aim to form partnerships with major European players
Examples of JRC-Estonia cooperation:
is a Network, which creates a screening procedure to
identify and investigate human biomakers in cellular models
of long-term toxicity in human target cells. (Queretec, Tartu)
The overall objective of this project is to upgrade the
present infrastructure into an operationally robust system
and one for providing up-to-date and high quality access to
ocean and marine metadata, data and data products.(Tallinn University of
7
Technology)
Types of agreements:
Collaboration Agreements, Memoranda
of Understanding, Letters of Intent
Collaboration Agreements, Memoranda of
Understanding, Letters of Intent (+200)
Activities may include joint research, information sharing
and exchange of personnel
Examples of JRC-Estonia cooperation:
European programme for life-long learning and
training of practitioners of chemical measurements in
metrology in chemistry, related to the metrological requirements
of ISO/IEC-17025 for chemical and bio-analytical measurements
in many different sectors. (University of Tartu)
Collaboration agreement on nuclear
emergency information
Nuclear emergency information exchange
with EU Member States under Council
Decision 87/600/Euratom. (Radiation Safety Department)
Types of agreements:
Scientific networks
Scientific networks (+ 60 scientific networks ; +350
partner organisations)
Essential for the JRC’s work on harmonising and validating
methods and measurements, establishing common
standards, and providing scientific and technical support
for the implementation of EU legislation
Examples of JRC-Estonia cooperation:
European Network of GMO Laboratories (ENGL)
This network solves the technical and analytical problems
which laboratories face in food and the environment. It
aims to harmonise Member State approaches in relation to
genetically modified organisms. (Estonian Research
Institute of Agriculture and National Institute of Chemical
Physics and Biophysics)
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Working with
Strategic partners
• The JRC and the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC) signed a Letter
of Intent on 18 October 2011. Aim: closer links between EU national science academies
and the European Union’s policy-making process.
• First JRC-EASAC joint report "Impact of engineered nanomaterials on human health:
considerations on benefit-risk assessment" presented in October 2011.
• A working group on nuclear safety - well advanced and a workshop will be held in
February 2013 with the aim to develop guidelines to support the implementation of the
Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management Directive.
• The JRC and the European Council of Academies of Applied Sciences, Technologies and
Engineering (Euro-CASE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 12 November 2012.
• Initial areas of collaboration identified: energy, innovation, transport and mobility,
education and training and the improvement of public understanding of technology and its
impact on society.
Scientific Support to
macro-regional strategies
Building on its expertise, the JRC aims to provide a strong scientific support to the EU
Strategy for the Danube Region endorsed by the European Council in June 2011.
4 vertical priorities
4 thematic flagship clusters:
• Danube Water Nexus
• Danube Land and Soil Nexus
• Danube Air Nexus
• Danube Bioenergy Nexus
2 horizontal flagship clusters:
1 horizontal priority
• European governance!
• Danube Reference Data and Service
Infrastructure
• Support the development of research and
innovation strategies for ‘Smart
Specialisation
High-level event on the Scientific Support to the Danube Strategy
16 May 2013, Bratislava
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JRC working with
Industry
Strengthening support to European economy and
industrial competitiveness
Examples of JRC activities:
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European Forum for Science and Industry
Smart Grids and Electromobility
Energy Efficiency
Life Cycle Assessment
Resource Efficiency
European Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Bureau
European Forum for
Science and Industry
European Forum for Science and Industry
strengthening the dialogue and cooperation with European industry in key sectors
for European competitiveness in a regular and structured way
600 members from public institutions, private companies, the scientific
community, Universities, European associations, industrial organisations…
Tools:
- Initiatives
- Roundtable
- Newsletter
- Bilateral meetings with high-level
stakeholders/technical meetings
- Cooperation on specific projects
JRC and Universities
The JRC collaborates with science organisations world-wide, including many
universities, in order to assure awareness of the latest scientific developments
and the collection of the best scientific evidence.
 In the framework of the European Forum for Science and Industry, JRC hosted
in Brussels a Round Table on "JRC-Universities: How to increase the
contribution of Universities to Science and Innovation".
 Pilot initiative - JRC Science Parks Initiative:
• 21-22 February 2013, a first thematic event on
nano-toxicology at the Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology (KIT)
• 20-21 March 2013, a second event on smart
grids at the Technical University of Munich
(TUM)
 TTO CIRCLE - testing new methods of cooperation - widening the debate to
universities to pave the way towards a more innovative and competitive
Union!
Why NRLs-EURLs?
National Reference Laboratories are an essential tool
for the proper implementation of the official controls and must:
•- work in accordance with internationally approved
Controlling
Authorities
performance standards and thus,
•- use methods of analysis that have, as far as possible, been
validated.
European Union Reference Laboratories
-
Ensure validated methods are available;
Uniformity
and Quality
Ensure reference materials are available;
of Analytical
Organise comparative testing;
Results
Organise training;
Do not exercise controls but may intervene in cases of dispute.
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European Union Reference Laboratories
managed by the JRC
• Genetically modified organisms ¹
• Food contact materials ¹
3200
500
400
300
200
100
132
114
134
112
128
138
117
113
101
118
124
136
102
126
130
116
127
103
139
125
123
106
131
129
109
121
111
120
108
115
119
107
135
133
• Heavy metals (Trace elements) ²
3400
DON [in µg/kg]
• Feed additives ²
3600
• Mycotoxins ²
LabID
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ²
¹ JRC-IHCP
² JRC-IRMM
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JRC cooperation with Estonia
• JRC collaboration with Estonian Partners
• 11 Framework Projects (nanomaterials, agriculture, marine, water
management, alternative testing methods, human biomonitoring,
toxicity, pharmaceuticals)
• 20 Scientific Networks (analytical chemistry, air quality, GMOs,
freshwater research, radioactivity environmental monitoring, food
contact material, chemical substances, biocides)
• 5 Collaboration agreements (nuclear emergency information, air
quality, freshwater research, metrology in chemistry)
• 5 Estonian nationals are working at the JRC
Serving society
Stimulating innovation
Supporting legislation
Joint Research Centre (JRC)
www.jrc.ec.europa.eu
Contact: jrc-info@ec.europa.eu
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