Growing inequality is a threat to economic growth, democracy and equal opportunities for future generations.
Objective
The aim of the call is to address the challenges linked to the compounded socioeconomic and cultural origins and effects in Europe in a context of globalisation and digitisation and to provide alternative policy options. R&I activities will provide new evidence and policy options in order to mitigate or support these transformations with a view to enhancing the diversity of cultures and social bonds, the existing or nascent social and cultural strengths of Europe, as well as reinforcing the social, cultural and economic benefits of the fourth industrial revolution. The call’s activities will also contribute to the objectives and the legacy of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 and to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Specific challenge
Social disadvantages and precariousness are to a large extent inherited whereby low educational attainment of both parents and children play a key role. There is ample evidence that children from less privileged social backgrounds trail behind in access and uptake of education. The challenge is to reverse this trend and to enhance upward social mobility by significantly improving access and uptake of education in Europe, in line with the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Scope
b) Acción de coordinación y apoyo
La Acción de Coordinación y Apoyo se ejecutará en paralelo a las acciones de investigación e innovación e interactuará con ellas y promoverá la política y la adopción de la investigación para superar las desigualdades. Generará redes para la investigación y desarrollo de políticas y promoverá y supervisará orientaciones políticas concretas para crear estrategias integradas en todo el sistema, cuando sea necesario.
La Comisión considera que las propuestas que soliciten una contribución de la UE del orden de los 3 millones de euros permitirían abordar adecuadamente este desafío específico. Esto no impide la presentación y selección de propuestas que soliciten otras cantidades.
a) Research and Innovation Action:
The research will focus on access and uptake of education from early childhood to adult education using the most appropriate methods and approaches. Education should be understood comprehensively, including formal and informal education publicly or privately provided. Any means of knowledge, skills and competences acquisition should be considered.
The research should take into account the increasing diversity in Europe and complex interplay of the socio-economic status of parents, family configuration, geographical location, ethnicity, religion, language, traditions, cultural values, gender, disabilities, special educational needs, as well as differences between urban and rural environments.
The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the order of EUR 3.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. This does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.
b) Coordination and Support Action
The Coordination and Support Action will run in parallel to the research and innovation actions and interact with them to enhance synergies and cooperation between them and amongst the relevant stakeholders (including policy makers at all levels in the relevant policy fields,) and decisively promote the policy uptake of the research to overcome inequalities. It will generate networks for research and policy development and promote and monitor concrete policy guidance for system-wide, integrated and – where necessary – cross-policy strategies for effective intervention.
The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the order of EUR 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. This does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.
Expected impact
- The RIA action will support the advancement and uptake of effective and efficient practices in order to reverse inequalities, increase access to quality education for disadvantaged groups, improve uptake of education in key competences (reading, maths, sciences, digital skills), reduce the impact of social disadvantage and thereby increase social upward mobility in Europe. It will produce research results on access and uptake of education and formulate policy recommendations in a cross-sectoral approach and by involving multiple stakeholders.
- The Coordination and Support Action will draw policy lessons from previous topics in this field, bring together through networks and conferences different stakeholders and coordinate their efforts to draw policy recommendations and impact lessons that can be implemented. The network structure should enable the sustainability over time of the policy process.
Deadline
12 March 2020 at 17:00 Brussels time
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