The project implements the goals of the Horizon 2020 Work Programme “Europe in a changing world: inclusive, innovative and reflective societies” by contributing to the monitoring and assessment of research and innovation (R&I) policies in Europe and beyond. The project seeks to: enhance country R&I policy monitoring arrangements already performed by the OECD and European Commission (EC); put in place a new knowledge management system that supports enhanced analysis of country data and its open accessibility; and conduct data analysis in support of European R&I policy needs. The project supports the preparation, implementation and analysis of the joint EC-OECD questionnaire survey on R&I investments and reforms in the Member States and Associated Countries. The survey collects data that is difficult to obtain through other means and is unique in its scope and depth. The project will streamline the survey process and reduce the reporting burden on countries by replacing similar surveys performed through the European Research Area and Innovation Committee (ERAC) in the past. The project utilises Semantic Web technologies that engender analytical flexibility and data openness. An essential component is a model of the R&I policy domain (in the form of a so-called “taxonomy-ontology”) that is used to structure the data collected. This offers the possibility to link seamlessly to other complementary data sources and opens up new analytical opportunities. The R&I policy taxonomy-ontology is also expected to become an open standard that can be widely deployed by policy-makers and analysts in their own knowledge management and research infrastructures. The project will exploit these new analytical opportunities to prepare a series of reports that answer questions relevant to the European R&I policy framework. The EC is expected to use these reports to support among other things its yearly Research and Innovation ‘Country Profiles’ and the European Semester Country Reports.

The proposed Action will support analytical work carried out in the context of the IEA-Morocco Joint Work Programme (JWP). Under the JWP, which came into effect on 28 June 2017, the IEA will provide technical support and advice to assist Morocco in developing a strategy to design an integrated assessment of long-term low carbon energy transition pathways. The IEA-Morocco work programme will include capacity building and training in data and statistics; modelling and support for the de-carbonisation programme. The IEA will also provide advice on further energy price liberalisation and energy security in the oil, gas and electricity sectors. It will also advise the Moroccan Ministry of Energy, Mines and Sustainable Development (MEMDD) and related stakeholders on optimal technologies and best practices that can be implemented to help Morocco attain its Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy targets. It is anticipated that EU support will cover the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy work streams outlined in the JWP. In addition to on-site visits, IEA experts will host interactive webinars in English with Moroccan energy efficiency stakeholders on mutually agreed priority areas. The IEA could also assist MEMDD and the Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency (AMEE) in assessing the economic and other conditions for a push towards clean, electric cooking. The main purpose of this activity would be to ensure that energy efficiency measures are accelerated and run parallel with renewable energy deployment. This proposal relates to item 57 in the Horizon 2020 Work Programme for 2016-2017. This action will be instrumental in supporting Morocco’s transition to a reliable, sustainable and competitive energy system, in particular in Horizon 2020 priority areas such as reduction in energy consumption and carbon footprint; generation and transmission of lower-cost, low-carbon electricity; new knowledge and technologies;