EERJ Roundtable 2004

A Response to the Roundtable will be given by the EARLI President, Prof Dr Filip Dochy.

Researchers from six national research programmes and their colleagues in funding agencies are currently engaged in discussions about their response to plans to realise a European Research Area in Educational Research that contributes to the development of a European knowledge-based society. The partners have sought European Funding support under the ERA-NET scheme. The intention is to facilitate progressive collaboration between research communities trough: development of a cooperative decision making system; web-based knowledge-sharing; cooperative analyses of best practice; joint examination of common policy problems and opportunities; and pilot implementation of new approaches to research training and dissemination. Additionally, another significant aim is to lay the foundation for substantive and continuing trans-national research in education, through the development of new and durable support arrangements for the funding of educational research in areas of strategic importance for individual countries and for Europe as a whole. The initial grouping of six countries does not wish to be exclusive and will actively seek the progressive involvement of other European countries over time.

The partners are intending to:

• develop a common ICT infrastructure to support collaborative European educational research development and dissemination.
• analyse opportunities and barriers to sustained co-operation. This will include a "forsight exercise" to develop ideas for strategic research co-operation within the boroad area of "knowledge and learning."
• plan and implementation of a range of joint activities. This will include analysis of substantive themes across national programmes, and beginning to implement a transnational dissemination strategy.
• planning of a trans-national educational research activity. This will include convening a European Summit Workshop to finalise proposals for a joint research action concerning Knowledge and Learning in Europe.

Discussions at ECER 2004 will focus upon:

• current cross-programme collaboration in educational research;
• future collaboration (under Framework 6)
• longer-term collaboration following a "foresight exercise" to develop ideas for strategic research co-operation within the broad area of "knowledge and learning."

Chair: Prof Martin Lawn, Editor, EERJ

The discussion will be introduced by short contributions from:
Prof Andrew Pollard, Prof Kirsti Klette, Prof Hannele Niemi, Michel Digne

The initial six partners:

United Kingdom
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP)
TLRP Director: Prof Andrew Pollard (University of Cambridge)
TLRP European Co-ordinator: Dr Alan Brown (University of Warwick)

Finland
Academy of Finland, Reseach Council for Culture and Society (AKA)
Life as Learning Research Programme (Learn)
Scientific Director: Prof Hannele Niemi
National Coordinator: Raija Latva-Karjanmaa (University of Helsinki)

France
Institut National de Recherche Pédagogique (INRP)
Prof Emannuel Fraisse, INRP Director
Michel Digne, Head of International Relations of INRP
Georges-Louis Baron, ICT in Education Division, INRP

Netherlands
Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO): Programme Council for Educational Research (PROO)
Prof Hetty Dekkers, University of Nijmegen, PROO Board member
Margreet Bouma, PROO staff member

Norway
Research Council of Norway (RCN)
"Knowledge, Education and Learning" Research Programme (KUL)
Deputy Director: Prof Kirsti Klette (University of Oslo)
Jan-Arne Elertsen, Senior Adviser, Research Council of Norway

Sweden
Swedish Research Council (VR)
Committee for Educational Science (CES)
Prof Roger Säljö (University of Gothenburg), Committee member
Prof Berit Askling, Secretary of the Committee of Educational Science.