Estonian Research Council

The Estonian Research Council is a foundation that has been established by the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research in public interest to support the development of the national research and development (R&D) policy. We act as a partner to researchers, R&D and education institutions, private businesses and the state.

The aim of the Estonian Research Council is to support the development and implementation of the national research, development and innovation policies in an efficient way, and to strengthen the social and economic impact and synergy of research and innovation.

We support researchers, award research grants, and facilitate applied research in the fields of smart specialisation.

We represent at international organisations, coordinate participation in international coop- eration programmes and support international cooperation by means of counselling and funding.

We analyse research information and the impact of funding decisions, evaluate the efficiency and impact of grant usage, and the public access to research information.

We manage the Estonian Research Information System (ETIS) that contains information on R&D institutions, researchers, research projects and research outputs.

We help to get young people attracted to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and raise public awareness about science and its importance to society.

We are an active partner in shaping the Estonian research and innovation policy. Structure of the Estonian Research Council Funding researcher mobility Research We support the mobility of Estonian researchers by means of various post-doctoral and top researcher Board of Estonian Funding grants and international cooperation programmes. The Research Council EU Structural Fund programme Mobilitas Plus under The Estonian Research Council is nationally funding preparation will finance post-doctoral researchers and research and mobility grants and applied research. top researchers coming to Estonia, researchers’ training Research can also be funded by means of co-funding Management Board of and study trips as well as the preparation of European Estonian Research Council and foreign funding programmes. Research Council’s grant applications; and we also sup- Estonian Research Research port the European Research Area (ERA) chairs as well as Council Evaluation Infrastructure the ERA-NET Cofund cooperation programmes. Committee Evaluation Committee Research funding Administration National research funding can be applied for personal or in- stitutional research. In the case of personal research grants Conducting applied research we fund start-up grants for young researchers, award The EU Structural Fund programme for Applied Research post-doctoral grants that can be used to further research in Smart Specialisation Growth Areas (NUTIPRO) under in Estonia or abroad, and support individual international preparation will support applied research to be conduct- Departnemt of ETIS – Estonian level high-risk or innovative exploratory projects. Institu- ed by R&D institutions based on the orders of companies Department Department Department of Department of International Research tional research funding enables R&D institutions to finance and will create conditions for cooperation between aca- Research Funding AnalysisR&D of Research of Science Research Information Programmes Communication high-level R&D activities and to modernize and maintain demia and industry. Cooperation System the necessary research infrastructure. The development of research infrastructure necessary for Co-funding and international funding implementing institutional research topics is supported by means of core infrastructure funding. The core infrastruc- The Estonian Research Council participates in several tures belong to an R&D institution but have been set up international cooperation programmes which aim to Shaping the in public interest and can be publicly accessed by other promote cooperation between researchers and offer op- research institutions and businesses alike. portunities to obtain further research experiences. These Research and programmes include organizing an open call for the posi-

tion of a visiting post-doctoral research fellow in the UK Innovation Policy Reliability of funding decisions (UCL SSEES), coordination of a post-doctoral researcher call to Japan (JSPS), funding a cooperation programme National research funding can be applied for at open calls with (PARROT) and Taiwan, and the Nordic-Baltic The Estonian Research Council participates in shaping the published by the Estonian Research Council. The fund- cooperation programme (NordForsk). In addition to that, research policy both at the national and international level. ing decisions are made based on a multi-stage system. we coordinate the Norwegian-Estonian research coopera- We involve stakeholders in our activity, thereby enhancing the The first stage is written remote peer-review of the ap- tion programme, finance researchers that have been suc- cooperation between industry and academia, and the interac- plications by foreign and Estonian experts. After that, the cessful at the European Molecular Biology Organisation tion of technological, applied and basic research. In shaping applications and reviews are discussed in four fields of grant calls, and enable Estonian research groups to par- the research and innovation policy, we rely on analysed and science expert panels. On the highest level, the Estonian ticipate in the cooperation project BONUS (a Baltic Sea assessed research and development data in making evidence- Research Council’s Evaluation Committee discusses the programme) by providing co-funding. As of 2015, ETAg based decisions. evaluations made by the four expert panels, and makes is member of 10 ERA-NET (ERA-NET Plus or ERA-NET We represent Estonia at Science Europe, an association of its proposals on awarding grants. The Evaluation Commit- Cofund) consortia, and has participated in organizing 13 European research funding organisations. The association tee’s composition is decided by the Minister of Education calls. 18 Estonian research teams have received funding. shapes the research policy of Europe, supports cooperation and Research and it includes 13 eminent researchers from and sharing of the best experiences. The elaborated sugges- different fields of science. tions and principles are implemented in Estonian work groups, which include partners from research institutions, ministries, and other stakeholders. To develop the research and innovation policy in cooperation with our partners, we support creating the position of research advisors to ministries within the framework of the National Pro- gramme for Addressing Socio-Economic Challenges through R&D (RITA) which is under preparation. With the help of RITA, we also support research stemming from the needs of society, carry out analyses and surveys, and make policy suggestions based on that.

2 3 Distribution of research and administrative SERVING THE SOCIETY information: the Estonian Research Council (ETAg) web page and newsletter, the re- search portal ETIS and target group portals Our task is to provide efficient support to the shaping and miks.ee, researchinestonia.eu, euraxess.ee implementation of national research and development Internationalisation of research and European Cooperation in Science and activities and innovation policy and to increase Internationalisation of research and supporting mobility – MOBILITAS Plus Technology (COST): distribution of supporting mobility – MOBILITAS Plus the social and economic impact and synergy information, application consultation, of research and innovation. attestation of participation Estonian Research Information System Supporting applied research in the growth Personal research funding projects: areas of smart specialisation – NUTIKAS personal research funding (PUT), Estonian (ETIS): development and user support Baltic Sea research and develop- Science Foundation (ETF) grants ment programme BONUS Reinforcement of sectoral research and development activities – RITA Cooperation of schools and FOR PUBLIC Coordination of transnational research The EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 companies in STEM (science, UNIVERSITIES, and mobility cooperation programmes technology, engineering, and and travel grants for researchers: mathematics) fields RESEARCH AND Coordination of national and regional Japan Society for the Promotion of research programmes – ERA-NET Cofund Science (JSPS) postdoctoral grant, DEVELOPMENT PARROT travel grants for cooperation European Cooperation in Sci- INSTITUTIONS AND with French researchers, Taiwanese- ence and Technology (COST): Research infrastructures roadmap – Estonian Scientific Cooperation FOR RESEARCHERS distribution of information, appli- assessment and funding of infrastruc- COMPANIES Agreement, Norwegian-Estonian cation consultation, attestation tures, ERIC legal framework Project preparation and VAT grants Research Cooperation Programme of participation (7th Framework Programme, H2020, COST)

Estonian Research Information System The EU Framework Programme for Distribution of research and administra- (ETIS): development and user support Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 Organisation of thematic train- tive information: the Estonian ing days and events related to Personal research funding projects: Distribution of funding informa- Research Council (ETAg) web page Distribution of information on the achievements of the counselling and reception personal research funding (PUT), tion, training and counselling of Estonian Science Foundation (ETF) applicants and newsletter, the research portal Estonian research: management of information and of foreign researchers: coordi- ETIS and target group portals miks.ee, Estonian Research and Develop- nation of the research module grants communication channels, provision of the newest researchinestonia.eu, euraxess.ee Evaluation of research and ment Liaison Office in of the Welcoming programme development activities information on the Estonian Research Council and EURAXESS network (ETAg) web page and target group portals: miks.ee, Supporting postdoctoral research and mobility: researchinestonia.eu, euraxess.ee, uudiskiri.etag.ee, ETIS postdoctoral research funding, ERMOS Supporting institutional research topics: Estonian Research Information postdoctoral research grant, postdoctoral institutional research funding (IUT), targeted Organisation of science Informing foreign research grant for research in the United financing (SF), funding for infrastructure System (ETIS): development communication project com- Television series researchers about Kingdom (SSEES, UCL) the possibilities of and user support petitions and Estonian Science Rocket 69 (Rakett 69) conducting research Communication Award in Estonia via the portal FOR FOREIGN researchinestonia.eu RESEARCHERS Estonian Research and FOR THE RESEARCH Development Liaison Office in Brussels Providing support and infor- Internationalisation of research Estonian Research Information COMMUNITY mation to foreign research- and supporting mobility – System (ETIS): development MOBILITAS Plus Research infrastructures roadmap – and user support ers: the Estonian Research Organisation of the contests for the Young assessment and funding of infrastruc- Council (ETAg) website, tures, ERIC legal framework Coordination of the portal euraxess.ee Researcher’s Grant and helping research- driven students find a supervisor amongst activities of the Science researchers and Technology Pact Supporting postdoctoral research and mobility: Coordination of the personal postdoctoral research funding, ERMOS Provision of information on Organisation of Estonian national participation scheme postdoctoral research grant, application for Cooperation of schools and research funding in Europe Register of the successful projects a postdoctoral research grant for research in contests for school students, for partnerships in the Organisation of conferences, companies in STEM (science, (Science Europe) within a framework programme the (SSEES, UCL) university students, inventors and European Union seminars, workshops and technology, engineering, and (FP5, FP6, FP7), H2020 and COST educational scientists training days mathematics) fields Estonian Research and Teacher training for Development Liaison Internationalisation of research and supervising inventors Coordination of the activi- Office in Brussels and researchers ties of project Scientix in FOR POLICY MAKERS, Coordination of the supporting mobility – MOBILITAS Plus FOR SCHOOL Estonia MINISTRIES AND activities of the Science STUDENTS, TEACHERS and Technology Pact Activities of the Young SUB-OFFICES Scientists’ Association AND UNIVERSITY Coordination of the Provision and organisation activities of the Science of expert assessment STUDENTS and Technology Pact Distribution of research and administrative information: via Estonian Research Information the Estonian Research Council Television series Reinforcement of sectoral research System (ETIS): development (ETAg) web page and newslet- Rocket 69 (Rakett 69) ter, in the research portal ETIS and development activities – RITA and user support and target group portal miks.ee Organisation of science communica- Science communication tion project competitions and Estonian programme TeaMe+ Science Communication Award Coordination of national and regional research programmes – ERA-NET Cofund

The EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 (for schools and science communicators) Research Analysis International and Public Access to Cooperation

Research Information The Estonian Research Council assists in strength- ening the competitiveness of Estonian research and Analysis holds an important place in research funding The Estonian Research Information development and facilitates its success in the inter- national research arena. We organise and coordinate — the Estonian Research Council analyses the ef- System and Estonian Research Portal fectiveness and impact of using research funding on participation in international research programmes. society; monitors and analyses the availability of re- The Estonian Research Council administrates the search information generated as a result of provided Estonian Research System (ETIS), a national registry, research funding, the creation and use of intellectual which acts as an information channel and tool both for Representing Estonia in international property, and the adherence to the ethical principles researchers and R&D institutions. The system brings research networks and partnership prog- together information on institutions, researchers, and research integrity. In order to support the elabo- rammes ration of research policy, various aspects of research research projects and research output. and statistical indicators are analysed, and evidence- Grant applications are submitted, assessed, and pro- The Estonian Research Council represents Estonia in the is to facilitate international cooperation. Marketing de- based input is provided for making future decisions. cessed via ETIS. Project reports are approved via ETIS, European research and development cooperation net- pends on the target groups—we compile and communi- too. The database is a good source for various analyses work COST (European Cooperation in Science and Tech- cate information materials, participate in fairs, introduce and several R&D institutions use it as an institutional nology). The network helps to connect research projects Estonian research institutions to foreign students study- Evaluating research and development research information system. done in different states and to form highly functional ing in Estonia, and organise study visits to Estonian re- research communities. The Estonian Research Council search institutions for foreign journalists. Comprehensive The Estonian Research Portal is the public section of Upon a regular evaluation, the level of research and de- organises counselling on cooperation programmes. As of and constantly renewed information is available in English ETIS. The Portal contains information on Estonian R&D velopment of the corresponding R&D field at a R&D in- 2015, 355 Estonian researchers are participating in differ- at www.researchinestonia.eu. and offers an operational environment for information ex- stitution is assessed by comparing it with internationally ent COST Actions. recognised criteria. If positive evaluation is granted, an change on research-related news and upcoming events. institution has the right to apply for funding for their R&D The Portal also provides an overview on various aspects We are an EU framework programme for research and Foreign researchers in Estonia activities from the state budget and to open doctoral of Estonian R&D activities. development Horizon 2020 NCP organisation in Estonia. In that capacity we organise training events and informa- We and our partners at R&D institutions support the studies programs. In addition to that, the Portal provides researchers and tion days, offer personal consultations and assist in find- adjustment of foreign researchers and their families ar- research institutions the opportunity to present their Targeted evaluation is performed in order to prepare ing partners, compile overviews of statistics and analyses, riving in Estonia with the help of the EURAXESS network. research profiles, CV’s, various types of research output strategic field development plans that guide research and coordinate funding allocated by the Estonian state. The corresponding mobility portal can be found at http:// – publications with full text, information on patents, prod- and development or other research policy decisions and As of November 2015, 158 Estonian organisations partici- euraxess.ee. ucts and services to public, etc. The research portal and measures, or for assessing and analysing the impact and pate in successful projects. The corresponding informa- information system are located at: The Estonian Research Council is also responsible for the implementation thereof. The respective R&D field(s), tion is available at http://edukad.etag.ee/. subject of evaluation, participants, experts and specific www.etis.ee. research module in the adjustment programme aimed at procedure is confirmed by the Minister of Education and We coordinate Estonia’s participation in EU partnerships foreign researchers and lecturers. Within this framework, Research. to enable several stakeholders and funders from Estonia we organise training courses about the Estonian research to work together and plan their joint future activities. The system, its organisation and funding for new immigrants. EU partnership participation action plan is annually pre- sented to the Research Policy Council and confirmed by the ETAg Council. The relevant information is available Estonian Liaison Office for EU RTD in at http://www.etag.ee Brussels

ETAg is a member of Science Europe and our representa- The Estonian Liaison Office for EU RTD in Brussels sup- tives participate in the work of its several working groups ports better access to EU research cooperation. The (Research Data, Research Infrastructures, Research In- office supports information exchange between Estonian tegrity, Research Careers, Open Access to Scientific Pub- R&D institutions and Brussels institutions, helps find- lications, Research Policy and Programme Evaluation, and ing contacts and creating cooperation possibilities. We Gender and Diversity Working Group). periodically organize calls for research administrators to provide the employees of universities, R&D institutions, ministries and their agencies the opportunity to famil- Promoting Estonian research internatio- iarise themselves with EU organisations and institutions, nally and to advance cooperation in their areas of research or The purpose of promoting Estonian researchers, research the organisation’s area of research administration during areas, and research capability on the international arena their internship in Brussels.

6 7 Science Communication

The Estonian Research Council is involved in com- that introduces the professions of STEM areas, and pub- municating science and supporting future genera- lish the miks.ee e-newsletter that gives an overview of the tions of researchers and engineers. We offer support science communication activities in Estonia. to anyone who strives to attract young people to In order to support cooperation between science com- research and technology, as well as creates and main- municators, we organise annual summer schools and tains interest in these fields. science communication conferences. We also fund an open call for Science Communication projects to sup- port activities which promote the work of researchers Increasing the interest and general and engineers for wider public as well as raise interest in awareness in science, technology, engi- these professions. neering and mathematics (STEM) among young people and general public National awards and contests The Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and partners initi- We organise Estonian National Contests of Young Scien- ated the Estonian Research and Technology Pact in order tists and Young Inventors to support and add motivation to ensure the sustainable development of the STEM to science projects and creativity at high-school. The aim fields , and to guarantee sufficient workforce for Estonia. of the National Contest for University Students is to pro- The pact serves as a cooperation agreement between mote research among university students, stimulate them the state, local governments, the business and education to be more active and to acknowledge students who have sectors as well as the third sector in order to popularize achieved outstanding results. The Contest of Educational STEM among young people and general public, to raise Research which culminates at the annual conference of the quality of education in the STEM subjects, and to educational research highlights the practical results of increase the prestige of working in these fields. The Esto- pedagogical research, introduces it to a larger group of nian Research Council coordinates the Pact. stakeholders and supports the uptake of the results by practitioners. We offer training courses for teachers on research pro- Estonian Science Communication Award draws attention The copyright of the photographs in this publication is ject supervision and inquiry-based learning methods in held by the Estonian Research Council or were submitted order to support science education at schools. Students to the activities that introduce science to the society and to the research photography competition organised in the can apply for a Young Scientists’ grant which provides an acknowledges people who promote science in Estonia. Estonian Wikipedia by Wikimedia Estonia. opportunity to cooperate with researchers. We support The highest recognition is the Lifetime Achievement Award for long-time systematic communication of sci- Front cover—Estonian physicist Mait Müntel by Lauri Kulpsoo the development, diversification and better availability An optical microscope image of liquid crystal drops in glass of extracurricular science education to spark interest in ence and technology. 100x by Martin Timusk STEM among young people from early age. A camp on drift ice in the middle of the Arctic Ocean as One can get an overview of the many activities we organ- seen from the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long (The Snow We contribute to the development of science media; for ise and support at the Annual Students’ Science Festival Dragon) by Timo Palo example, the television programme “Rocket69” reached that takes place in spring. Pg. 1—An electron microscope image of a carbon nanotube television screens as a result of the initiative of the Esto- fibre by Rünno Lõhmus Aurora borealis in Estonia by Janek Pärn nian Research Council. We develop www.miks.ee portal Pg. 3—A Campbell-Stokes heliograph by Hannes Keernik Pg. 6—Põrguorg in Paistu, new flow path of the Varstu creek in Aruküla stratum sandstone in 2011 by Tõnu Pani Opening anther and pollen of thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) by Heiti Paves Pg. 7—International research cooperation on the CHINARE Arctic expedition by Timo Palo Interference in the air gap between ultra-thin glass sheets and a silica crystal by Martin Timusk Back cover (inside)—thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) is a common weed of the Brassicaceae family by Heiti Paves ? Thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) pollen by Heiti Paves TEADUSvis. Petri dishes by Anna Loskutova Läheb tar Cross-section of the trunk of a common hazel (Corylus avellana) by Annika Karusion Estonian Research Council Päriselt! Pg. 2—photographs of a conference at the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu) “Research as Estonia’s development engine. Do we keep thinking or just do it?” by Erik Peinar Pg. 3—Estonia’s first near- zero energy office building in Rakvere, from a presentation by Kalle Karron 13.10.15 Pg. 7—Horizon 2020 opening concert in Tallinn in 2014, photograph from a private collection Pg. 8—Estonian geneticist Riin Tamm introducing the world of research at a miks.ee Science Day by Maanus Kullamaa

8 This publication has been prepared using environmentally friendly materials. Estonian Research Council Estonian Research Council Estonian Liaison Office for EU RTD Registry code 90000759 representation in Tallinn Kadri Sirg, Head of Office Soola 8 (IV-V floor) Lauteri 5 (II floor) Square de Meeûs 1, 3rd floor Tartu 51013 Tallinn 10114 1000 Brussels, Phone +372 730 0324 Phone +372 731 7362 Phone +32 2 265 0933 [email protected] [email protected] Mobile +32 470 655 155 [email protected]

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