Quick presentation of the “new-LIFE” European research project
Following the publication of a new FP7-SSH call for project on July 20, 2010, the Summer School of Territorial Intelligence held on July 22-23, 2010, in Marne-la-Vallée (France), focused on the opportunities of response to the new call, taking into account the evaluation of job-LIFE as a promising but incomplete proposal.
A new topic, very close to our previous proposal job-LIFE, has been suggested and a timetable for response was established.
According to the evaluation of job-LIFE, we will clear the state of art as the structure of the project, give a detailed work plan at the level of the tasks performed by each researcher, and the budget, rebalance the consortium towards North and East Europe, better the transversal implication of the partners, introduce evaluation in the management and deepen diffusion.
The project "Cooperate and observe for a successful socio-ecological transition in Europe", " new-LIFE" for short, meets about topic "Europe moving towards a new path of economic growth and social development" of the call project to the 7th Framework Programme for Research of the European Community for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration1 published on July 20, 2010 in the 8th thematic “Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities”.
Guidelines
new-LIFE is a "large scale integrated research project" entered in activity 8.1 “Growth, employment and competitiveness in a knowledge society – the European case".
“In order to succeed the socio-ecological transition” in a context of crisis characterized by many global challenges, the EU must adapt its policy framework and common rules "to strive for accelerated transformation of the financial, economic and environmental structures and policies as well as modernisation of social welfare and development of high quality standards of the environment."
new-LIFE is also in "paths towards sustainable development", characterized at “combining economic, social and environmental objectives” and cultural ones, in Europe and worldwide.
new-LIFE belongs specifically to the area 8.1.2. "Structural changes in the European knowledge economy and society" whose objective and expected impact are particularly clear for the members of the European Network of Territorial Intelligence, ENTI:
“The objective is to develop an understanding of the requirements of the transition to a socio-ecological model of development where innovation is likely to play a key role.“
“Projects will advance the interdisciplinary knowledge that enables to improve the understanding of the links between the socio-ecological transition and growth as well as the role of innovation. They will achieve a critical mass of resources and involve relevant communities, stakeholders, and practitioners in the research, with a view to enhancing the development of an improved research agenda for innovative social services and better instruments for innovation and coordinated social and economic governance in the EU.”
The topic “Europe moving towards a new path of economic growth and social development” concerns "the links between economic and social priorities" in the context of socio-ecological transition and in the context of the tensions that it will generate between the models of development, political priorities, social groups and territories. The policies of the European Union, which are oriented from a decade “into a sustainable knowledge-based economy” … “need to be reassessed and adapted to the new requirements of a transition to a socio-ecological model of development. The new "Europe 2020" agenda made to foster these new development and social well-being trajectories needs an accompanying research agenda.”
“In the context of rethinking EU policies after the crisis and of the upcoming discussions on EU modernisation strategies, it will be important for Europe to re-examine how policies with exclusive and shared EU competences … actually combine economic, environmental and social objectives in order to respond to the challenge of a new economic growth and social development path.”
Research dimensions
The proposed research dimensions suggested by the call are:
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Structural reforms and innovative tax policies to improve income distribution in Europe
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Governance initiatives mitigating potential negative impacts of globalization on citizens and influencing global trends towards new forms of socio-ecological development
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Adapting policies and coordination of research, innovation and industry to the socio-ecological transition
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Challenges for the territories in respect of workplaces, leisure, habitat, landscape infrastructure
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The cultural contexts of socio-ecological transition and the collective meanings of "well-being."
Territories, innovation and culture were three key words we suggested for job-LIFE. The topic "Europe moving towards a new path of economic growth and social development" takes place in the general directions of the first call for papers: the combination of the objectives of sustainable development and socio-ecological transition. This last has been the focus of our last international conference "Territorial Intelligence and Socio-Ecological Prospective" held in Nantes and Rennes from March 24 to 26, 2010. The topic “Europe moving towards a new path of economic growth and social development” questions the link between economic and social priorities, highlighting the tensions between economic and social priorities that will characterize the socio-ecological transition. The questions raised by this topic to the research are to conduct structural reforms, policy initiatives and governance, the link between research, innovation and productive activities, territories and cultural context. This last one has been the focus of the international conference "Territorial Intelligence and Culture of Development" in Salerno on November 4-7, 2009. Needless to recall the interest for the territories of the territorial intelligence, the object of which is, in terms of knowledge as to the action level, the combination of economic, social, environmental and cultural objectives of the sustainable development.
Hypothesis
How can Europe succeed the socio-ecological transition? What are the structural changes and policies that will improve both economic growth and well-being of everyone when facing the environmental and financial challenges legacy of the crisis? And especially, what innovations, what cultural and educational transformations will promote public and territories support?
New LIFE seeks to answer these questions by posing as assumptions that a new mode of development directed by ensuring a minimum standard of well being for all and improve the well-being of everyone is able to ensure this success, if it is based on cooperation and the territorial observation, if it is driven by design plural of innovation, if it is based on knowledge co-constructed across the territories and if it is animated by a truly participatory territorial governance.
Work packages
Five WPs will respond directly to the research dimensions of the suggested by call for project for the topic « Europe moving towards a new path of economic growth and social development”. Another WP is devoted to the observation territorial catalyst for collective intelligence at local level. Two other WP will have for cross tasks the management and dissemination.
Calendar
October 11, 2010 - ENTI day in the framework of the Salerno conference “Local Governance and Territorial Intelligence: Confronting Development Patterns”, Italy, October 12-13, 2010.
October 28, 2010 - ENTI day in the framework of the Alba-Iulia conference “Social Development and Territorial Intelligence », Romania, October 29-30, 2010.
End of October: end of the choice of partners, last draft of administrative part (part A), first draft of the scientific part (part B)
November, 17h: ENTI day in the framework of Annual Conference of Territorial Intelligence “Ecologic and Social Innovation”, in Strasbourg France, November 18,19, 2010. This ENTI day will be consecrated to discussions about the scientific guidelines and about the work plan of each work package.
End of December: final draft for submission to experts.
January 31, 2011: Tabled project
February 2, 2011 at 17h: call dead line.
Executive Committee:
Jean-Jacques GIRARDOT (coordinator), Gwenaël DEVILLET, Blanca MIEDES, Cyril MASSELOT, Timo TOIKKO, François SILVA.
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1FP7 work programme coopération SSH 2011 , Call identifier: FP7-SSH-2011-3
