E-RIHS PP D9.2 Analysis of innovation background

The goal of E-RIHS, the European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science, is to grow and strengthen a creative, European-wide framework for supporting frontier research in heritage science. It will do so by offering access to expertise, data and technologies through a standardized approach based on different modes of services organized in four platforms:

• ARCHLAB (access to heritage archives and collections);

• DIGILAB (remote access to data and tools for heritage research);

• FIXLAB (access to large-scale facilities and advanced laboratories;

MOLAB (collections of mobile instruments enabling in-situ diagnostics).

The success and long-term sustainability of E-RIHS will rely on its capacity and means to foster scientific excellence and equally to identify, promote and exploit its innovation potential. This will enable the development of next-generation instruments, methods and knowledge management tools capable of advancing the state of the art across the RI.

The main objective of the work in Deliverable 9.2, ‘Analysis of The Innovation Background’, is to map the innovations developed in heritage science and to analyse the role of the main actors involved. This includes the framework conditions as to how to provide novel and efficient access services and offering unique research opportunities to a broad spectrum of user communities, including industry.

Firstly, an overview of basic concepts relevant to the growth of Innovation and innovation eco-systems is provided. Open innovation is key to future directions. Considering E-RIHS will be the most multi-disciplinary ERIC and that innovation concepts are largely economically based, it is key to understand how and where a heritage science research infrastructure can exploit innovation systems. Analysis of future policy directions indicates that the innovation landscape into which E-RIHS will be born is receptive to a trans-disciplinary, trans-sectoral and geographic reach of E-RIHS could be successfully exploited for innovation supports. Bringing the experience of innovations by the sciences to the co-creative and holistic directions of cultural heritage research are positive.

Innovation through smart specialisation methodologies in E-RIHS, could be applied in locating LABS – for example, how FIXLAB facilities differentiate themselves and how can they specialise may decide on their E-RIHS location. This could significantly contribute to the sustainability of the E-RIHS brand of excellence.

Funding was found to be largely nationally based. Thus, when the national feasibility of E-RIHS membership is being assessed, the added value rewards through innovation technology transfer and exploitation should be encouraged as a high-impact pillar on which to base decisions.

E-RIHS will have a significant role, as a research infrastructure (RI), as a hub for innovation. Various types of innovation stem from the operation of RI’s, which can be viewed on the basis of how these innovations were generated (research- or use-led), how they propagated (knowledge spillover, technology transfer) or what framework they grew in (clustering or systemic). While there exist numerous good cases of inventions generated by researchers working in RIs, a structured or induced approach to innovation is a relatively recent occurrence in the context of RI ecosystems. Prioritising solutions to non-economic innovation must be considered, given the limitations on revenue to ERIC’s. E-RIHS will have to operate in such a fluid environment and foster innovations in a broad context encompassing:

• technical & methodological

• non-economic

• non-technological

• social innovations

To ensure the access providers, the users and the broader heritage industry was carefully analysed with respect to the combined contributions of these actors to developing innovation. A unique feature of E-RIHS is the user-provider interaction. It has the potential of generating innovation in co-development of next-generation instruments, methods or knowledge management tools for advancing the state of the art across the heritage science domain. The industry is considered as a key player in the development and the future of RI’s. However, in the case of E-RIHS, ‘Industry’ needs to be considered with a wider view to include those outside of pure academia with revenue/ commercial potential. In this context, all cultural institutions can be considered as specific ‘industries’.

Thorough a health check analysis, the main facilitators and inhibitors relevant to E-RIHS have been identified. How to cultivate the former and suppress the latter have been outlined. These factors are relevant to the growth and sustainability of E-RIHS and will have to be considered in the context of the Innovation Agenda.

Issues of technology transfer and exploitation for E-RIHS are outlined. The protection of IPR was identified as critical for any innovation exploitation. In this respect, the connection of researchers to Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) in a national-hub level is important. While a central E-RIHS TTO would have the role of collecting information and promoting best practices for exploitation.

The most significant findings were made via the WP9.2 Innovation Survey and the ERIC National Contact Point Innovation Survey. A detailed analysis of unfulfilled needs in the heritage science sphere are outlined in consideration of the four E-RIHS LABS future directions

• New methodologies

• New instrumentation

• Knowledge transfer

• User services

Finally, analysis of common approaches for managing and setting up procedures for implementing innovation demonstrates that adaptability is crucial for effective management. A ‘mercurial’ model based on such flexibility is most appropriate for coordinating the innovation chain in E-RIHS. Implementation of such a model would need to use an E-RIHS tailored Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) toolkit to monitor and respond to its unique research innovation landscape. The innovation eco-system of E-RIHS will need a smooth infrastructure, enabling providers, users and industry as actors from idea generation towards fruition.

Deliverable 9.2 will be the analytic backbone of the Innovation Agenda, to be developed as part of WP9.2 by 2019.