Access to high quality expertise has been at the core of the IPTS’ development strategy. For this purpose, networking has proved to be a most valuable mechanism for complementing and expanding the Institute's internal capabilities.
ESTO, the European Science and Technology Observatory, was JRC/IPTS' first attempt to create a platform of experts engaged in monitoring and analysing scientific and technological developments and their relation and interaction with society. After some 10 years of common work, ESTO has left its place to two new networks:
The ERAWATCH Network
ERAWATCH is a European web based service that presents information on national research policies, actors, organisations, programmes. It is a service contributing to the European Research Area (ERA).
Information is collected with the support of national nodes from the ERAWATCH Network, gathering and analysing information relevant to research policy-making in each of the EU member states and beyond.
ERAWATCH is a joint initiative between the Joint Research Centre and DG Research. The online service is provided through CORDIS.
For more information about ERAWATCH: http://cordis.europa.eu/erawatch/. For additional information about the activities and composition of the ERAWATCH Network: http://www.erawatch-network.eu/.
The ETEPS Network
ETEPS (European Techno Economic Policy Support Network) is a network of European organisations that provides IPTS with high quality advice at a European level over the whole range of policy fields in which the Institute operates. It follows up and replaces the ESTO Network. In 2005 IPTS signed a framework contract with a Consortium of 19 members and 17 associated members which brings together many of the leading national counterparts of the IPTS throughout Europe.
In terms of expertise the consortium is able to operate in all 27 EU Member States and covers policy subjects as divers as agriculture, consumer protection, energy, environment, enterprise, health, information society, innovation, research, and transport.
The JRC IPTS also draws upon other pools of expertise through networking with sister institutes of the JRC, especially in the energy and environmental fields.
In addition its customer-driven work, the IPTS also has a policy of engaging in competitive multi-partner projects within the RTD Framework Programme. Around 20 such projects are currently operational. These projects strengthen the IPTS' connections with the scientific community and are valuable in enabling it to benchmark itself against its peers.
