Establishment of a core team in charge of the SRIA process
A temporary task force or working group composed of key members of the Governing Board and/or the Secretariat can facilitate an effective and efficient SRIA development process. Such a core team could oversee steering the SRIA process, including process design and implementation, defining the methodology and timeframe as well as beeing tasked with drafting and elaborating the SRIA document. During the SRIA process, the team may also serve as a temporary decision-making body regarding SRIA development in close consultation with the established management and decision-making structures.
Contextualization of the partnership
The contextualization of a partnership is an important element in the SRIA development process, where the analysis of R&I trends and drivers, gaps and opportunities, national and European policy goals, and complementary activities and initiatives typically lay the framework for the partnership’s expected R&I contribution as well as prepare for the definition of its priority areas, needs and rationale for coordinated action among members. Such an analysis provides data for further SRIA development and reflects the principle of evidence-based agenda setting. Methods such as document review, expert interviews, and consultations with scientific experts and stakeholders may be used for such purposes. While a partnership’s vision and mission statements are essential elements of a SRIA, the development of the vision and mission is typically not part of the SRIA process, however, established networks have sometimes combined the process of updating existing vision and SRIA documents.
Identification and elaboration of R&I priority areas for coordinated action
During this phase, the partnership identifies and defines its R&I agenda in a process that closely involves a broad range of stakeholders from inside and outside the partnership. As SRIA development is iterative, multiple rounds of engaging different stakeholders and multiple draft SRIAs may be necessary. The overall processes are flexible and engagement approaches should be tailored to a partnership’s R&I topics and stakeholder community. Generally, it is expected that this phase is the longest. Within the SRIA documents, many partnerships also present the process through which the SRIA has been developed, including specific steps taken and actors engaged at every step.
Validation and adoption of the SRIA
The SRIA, as a key strategy document of a partnership for decision-making, must be formally approved and adopted by a partnership’s management body. It may also involve additional internal and/or external feedback and consultations for broader validation and finalization.
For European Partnerships, the SRIA must be agreed with the Commission before the launch of the partnership. Once the SRIA is adopted, launch and publication events should involve a broad stakeholder community to publicize the document and further consolidate buy-in and commitment from stakeholders.
Keeping SRIAs up to date
During the development of SRIA, it is recommended to anticipate when it would be necessary to update or revise the document, considering the time and resources required for this. The timeline depends on the pace of change within the specific area in which the Partnership operates, and chosen framework.
