Bridging Research Systems and Innovation: Why I’m Ready to Contribute to the Horizon Europe ERA Call (HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-01)
A personal note to consortia: Let’s build stronger, smarter, more cohesive research ecosystems across Europe.
Why This Call Matters
The European Research Area (ERA) stands at a pivotal point. Strengthening coordination among national R&I systems, aligning policies, and boosting transnational collaboration are no longer optional—they're essential for a resilient, competitive Europe.
The HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-01 call is designed to make that alignment happen. As someone deeply immersed in Network Science, Agent-Based Modeling (ABM), and Innovation Systems, I see this call not just as a funding opportunity, but as a mission to rewire the connective tissue of European R&I ecosystems.
In this article, I outline how my expertise and track record align with the goals of the call, and where I can add value as a Work Package Leader, Methodology Expert, or Impact Evaluator.
My Core Competence Areas Aligned with the Call’s Goals
1. Network Science for Mapping and Diagnosing Fragmentation
The call emphasizes the need to understand and reduce fragmentation and duplication in national research and innovation systems. My academic background in Network Science directly speaks to this challenge.
I use network metrics such as centrality, clustering coefficients, assortativity, and modularity to detect silos, bridge gaps, and identify hidden hubs across institutional, national, and regional R&I systems. I complement these with RSiena longitudinal models to track the evolution of inter-institutional ties over time, and multiplex network analysis to understand the layered interactions across research, funding, mobility, and policy networks.
In past work, I have mapped co-publication, co-patenting, and project collaboration networks among European NUTS2 regions to assess knowledge cohesion and identify systemic bottlenecks.
These tools can be harnessed to visualize ERA policy implementation in real-time and track the evolution of research cooperation networks, helping policymakers adjust strategies dynamically.
Contribution Example:
Lead a WP on “Systemic Mapping of Policy Coordination Structures Using Network Analysis,” integrating co-funding data, institutional collaborations, and thematic alignments.
2. Agent-Based Modeling to Simulate Policy Interventions
ERA policy coordination is not just about the “what” but also the “how.” ABM allows us to simulate various stakeholder behaviors under different governance structures, incentive schemes, and policy shocks.
I can develop agent-based models of national and regional research systems to simulate institutional reactions to policy tools (e.g., performance-based funding, mission-oriented calls, cross-border grants). While fully capturing the complexity of such multi-level systems remains a formidable challenge—acknowledged widely across the modeling community—ABM nonetheless offers a powerful heuristic and exploratory tool. As such, I use it not to predict, but to 'explain' and 'test scenarios' for how institutional and policy-level dynamics might interact under alternative governance configurations.
These models help anticipate unintended consequences of well-meaning policies, and offer scenario testing for ex ante evaluation.
Contribution Example:
Develop an ABM-based policy sandbox to simulate the behavioral effects of ERA policy levers, helping consortia and ministries design more effective interventions.
3. Innovation Systems Expertise to Inform Policy Coherence
One of the key challenges mentioned in the call is ensuring that EU-wide objectives are translated into coherent national R&I strategies. My work on innovation systems—especially the interaction between research organizations, firms, and governments—provides the framework to achieve this.
I have worked with Smart Specialization Strategies, identifying regional innovation bottlenecks and policy misalignments across Europe.
I contribute to designing multi-level governance structures that balance regional autonomy with pan-European goals.
My publication record includes comparative studies of R&I system evolution, capability building, and innovation policy impact.
Contribution Example:
Co-design WP tasks that support horizontal policy learning among national ministries and vertical alignment between EU and national research goals.
Cross-Cutting Strength: Comparative Analysis and Evaluation
In all of the above domains, I bring a strong comparative lens. Using harmonized datasets (e.g., Horizon 2020, Scopus, PATSTAT, Eurostat, RISIS), I contribute to:
Benchmarking performance of national and regional systems
Designing indicator frameworks for ERA policy alignment
Building interactive dashboards for stakeholders to monitor progress
Why Me as a Work Package Leader or Expert?
I combine deep theoretical knowledge with a track record of practical, policy-relevant research.
Here’s what I bring to your consortium:
✅ Quantitative analytical tools grounded in real data
✅ Multi-method expertise: network analysis, ABM, system mapping
✅ Experience in coordinating academic and policy stakeholders
✅ Publication record in STI policy, economic geography, and SNA
✅ Familiarity with EU R&I policy instruments and Smart Specialisation
Whether the WP is about diagnostics, monitoring, capacity building, or policy simulation, I can deliver robust, reproducible insights that support both research and implementation.
Let’s Collaborate
If your consortium is responding to the HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-01 call and looking for an expert who can bridge quantitative insight with system-level policy relevance, I’d be happy to talk.