EU strategy: evaluation and measures for enhancing the success rate
Thanks to its EU strategy, the ZHAW has defined the aims for participation in Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe. The Research & Development unit evaluated the success of the strategy in 2020.
The EU strategy has significantly increased the ability of Schools, institutes and research groups to participate in projects in the EU research and innovation framework programme Horizon 2020. A large number of project proposals were submitted, of which 41 major projects were funded by Horizon 2020. ZHAW researchers were significantly involved in these projects. More than half of these projects were submitted in 2019 and 2020, indicating that the strategy is a strongly rising success.
Support measures for researchers
In September 2020, the Executive Board decided on four measures in order to support researchers in their efforts and to increase the success rate with regard to Horizon Europe, the 9th framework programme, which begins in February 2021. The four measures are as follows:
- ZHAW researchers can participate more easily in promising and self-financed programmes (e.g. AAL, EUROSTARS or EuroHPC) as the regulations for self-financing will be less strict.
- Researchers and institutes can co-create EU programmes with an above-average success rate, such as the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC), and receive funding for research and academic programmes as the ZHAW will bear 50 per cent of the cost.
- Institutes can define and apply for targeted support measures for promising researchers. The measures are financed half by every institute individually and half by the ZHAW.
- Researchers will be supported by specialised controllers in all matters relating to the financial management of EU projects.
These measures will apply from 2021 to 2024.