Science with and for Society (SwafS)
Science with and for Society (SwafS) 2018-2020 Programme
SwafS is a Horizon 2020 programme that aims to build effective cooperation between science and society, to recruit new talent for science, and to pair scientific excellence with social awareness and responsibility.
Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is the cornerstone of SwafS, allowing all societal actors to work together during the whole research and innovation process to better align both the process and its outcomes, with the values, needs and expectations of society.
There are 21 calls within the SwafS programme including:
- Supporting research organisations gender equality plans
- Exploring and supporting citizen science
- Examining the role of science communication
- Supporting researchers with refugee background
- Developing methods for teaching ethics and research integrity
Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is the European Union's inclusive approach to ensure that societal actors work together during the whole research and innovation process. Its aim is to help align Research & Innovation with the values, needs and expectations of European society. Bulgarian captions supplied by the Ruse Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bulgaria.
Information presentation by the DG for Research and Innovation
The final round of the H2020 SwafS funding calls will open on December 10th 2019. More details about individual topics and call deadlines can be found on the European Commission website.
An overview of the H2020 - SwafS programme and the 14 topics that will be included in the 2020 Call is provided in this webinar. If you have any questions or would like to join the SwafS mailing list, please contact swafs@sfi.ie.
Partner search form
If you would like assistance in identifying partners for your project please complete the Partner Search Form and return to swafs@sfi.ie.
SwafS Knowledge Day & Brokerage Event
A SwafS brokerage event for the final round of the call will be organised in Warsaw on 15 October 2019 and will give participants the opportunity to join pre-arranged meetings with other participants in order to identify possible collaborators and to facilitate the setup of Horizon 2020 project consortia. During this day coordinators actively looking for project partners, will have a possibility to present their project idea during a flash presentation session.
It will be linked to the knowledge day which will take place the day before (14 October 2019). The knowledge day will highlight all topics covered within the Horizon 2020 SwafS call for proposals and will target the SwafS NCPs as well as the SwafS stakeholders. It will serve as information day including training elements on most useful topics important for SwafS applicants.
The event website including registration system is available.
Financial support
Enterprise Ireland offers financial support for Irish-based researchers who intend to apply to an EU funding scheme as follows:
Travel grants for Academic Researchers
Researchers based in all Irish research performing organisations can apply to facilitate multiple visits to meet research partners in other countries.
Coordination Support for Academics
The maximum grant for academic coordinators under this support is €12,500. All research projects are eligible. Eligibility includes researchers employed in publicly-funded research performing organisations. Please note that you must have the support of your NCP prior to submitting an application for coordination support, and applications will only be accepted up to 10 weeks prior to the call deadline (or submission date) i.e 5th of February 2020 for SwafS calls.
Support for Companies Participating in H2020
Irish companies may be able to avail of financial assistance towards the cost of preparing a H2020 proposal through their development agencies. Further information can be obtained from your company assigned development advisor.
More information about these support grants can be found at Horizon2020.ie
A sample of ‘Science In Society’ projects funded under FP7
EU funding received: €3,748,689
Inquiry-based science education (IBSE) is a methodology which has the potential to increase young people's interest in science and to positively impact their long-term engagement in science. However, in order to promote the use of IBSE in classrooms across Europe, teachers first must be supported through appropriate teacher education and must be provided with appropriate teaching and learning resources.
Led by a team in Dublin City University (DCU), SAILS will run from 2012–2015, and is related to an earlier FP7-funded project, ESTABLISH (see below for more information). SAILS aims to provide teacher education workshops in IBSE and to promote a self-sustaining model encouraging teachers to share experiences and to apply inquiry-based approaches to teaching, learning and assessment. The SAILS consortium is made up of 12 participating countries, bringing together more than 60 partners from 14 organisations, including universities, a small-medium enterprise and a multinational organisation. They aim to work together to promote and disseminate inquiry-based approaches for science teaching, learning and assessment to national and international stakeholders. By adopting a pan-European approach, SAILS aims to ensure that the diverse practices built up in each country can be analysed and shared, resulting in the development of models of best practice.
EU funding received: € 1,496,348
Co-ordinated by the Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), the StudioLab project was inspired by the merging of the artist’s studio with the research lab to create a hybrid creative space. StudioLab aims to develop a new European platform for creative interactions between art and science, and through the project, major players in scientific research are brought together with centres of excellence in the arts and experimental design. StudioLab’s activities fall within three key dimensions — incubation of art-science projects, education, and public engagement — and focus on three main themes at the frontiers of science: the Future of Water, Synthetic Biology, and the Future of Social Interaction. Across these three themes and strands, Studiolab partners are developing products and activities with educational, social, cultural, or commercial value as well as a unique programme.
For more information, please visit the StudioLab website.
EU funding received: €3,389,648
ESTABLISH, which ran from 2010–2013, was co-ordinated by a team at Dublin City University (DCU). The overall objective of the project was to facilitate and implement an inquiry-based approach to science education for second level students across Europe, bringing together the key stakeholders in science education.
The ESTABLISH project addressed this challenge and brought together a consortium of over 60 individuals from 11 European countries (Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Malta, Netherlands, Estonia and Italy). They worked with local teachers and students to develop and implement inquiry-based science education (IBSE) teaching and learning materials and evaluation tools which are culturally adapted for use in each country.