What does Horizon 2020 mean for research libraries? | LIBER

"Designed to boost Europe’s knowledge driven economy, H2020 will provide a whopping €15 billion worth of funding for research and innovation activities in Europe and beyond over the next two years. What does this mean for LIBER members? We believe that libraries are at the centre of a knowledge driven economy. European funding has been an important aid to LIBER libraries as they work to develop innovative services and infrastructures that support researchers in creating world class research. In the 8 projects that LIBER was involved in under the previous funding programme, FP7, nearly 10% of LIBER’s members (around 35 libraries) were partners. They worked on diverse activities such as the digitization of cultural heritage, digital preservation, research data sharing, open access policies and the interoperability of research infrastructures. We’d like to see even more libraries participating under H2020. H2020 offers libraries the opportunity to further embed themselves with the European research infrastructure. It will also help shape e-infrastructures so that libraries can continue supporting researchers and new research paradigms in the most efficient and effective way possible.   Where are the opportunities for libraries in the individual H2020 work programmes? Several of the H2020 work programmes offer interesting opportunities for libraries to bid for H2020 funding. The ICT work programme addresses cloud computing (development, federation, and trust) and open data platforms, all of which holds some relevance for libraries who are concerned with preserving and providing access to data in trusted environments. Future and Emerging Technologies seeks innovation proposals in support of the integration of data. Inclusive, Innovation and Reflective Societies offers a number of opportunities in the area of cultural heritage. Libraries in less well developed European countries should also consider how the Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation work programme could help them to facilitate knowledge transfer. Probably the two most exciting programmes, and certainly the most relevant to the LIBER strategy, are the inter-related European Research Infrastructures and Science with and for Society. With a strong emphasis on supporting data innovation in research and science through the development and integration of supporting infrastructures and policies, there are several areas in these work programmes where libraries could contribute and where tangible benefits are to be gained from the outcomes of the work itself. Under EINFRA-1-2014 there may be opportunities for libraries to contribute to work on support for data management plans. EINFRA-2-2014 presents the opportunity to build on the open access infrastructure work done under FP7. LIBER will be actively seeing partners interested in taking part in EINFRA-7-2014 – Provision of core services across e-infrastructures ..."