Ref. Ares(2021)2801714 - 27/04/2021
Ref. Ares(2021)2867223 - 29/04/2021
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE
Project COMPARED
Text mining solution to support the evaluation process of research grant applications
Update January 2019
A meeting with the partners of the project was held in June 2018. The aim was to review the main
objectives of the project and to discuss the planning and deliverables. The scope of the project was
fine-tuned: providing more evidence for the decision-making process of granting R&I funding. The
development of the pilot platform was discussed (data, functionalities, testing methods, deployment,
etc.). Issues related to data were also at the agenda: source of data, data protection, retention,
confidentiality issues, format and content and structure of data, data repository. Various aspects like
planning, timing, and governance were also discussed.
The IT development started mid-September 2018 (text mining algorithms, GUI, translation,
visualisation, data, etc). The pilot web platform is currently being finalised and will be improved
through consecutive iteration with the core partners of the project: NFIHK, FECYT, DG RTD, Science
Europe. Target for first iteration is February 2019. Demonstration of the platform and collection of
national data on grants will then be made to national funding agencies through the network of
Science Europe.
Description of the project
Technological development and the open data revolution are changing the way research is
performed today. The process of evaluation of research proposals by public funding agencies in EU
Member States is impacted as well.
The present project aims at developing, implementing and operating a semantic similarity platform
to support the evaluation of research proposals by public research funding agencies. The platform
will connect funding mechanisms together, while keeping intact their specificities, with a view to
promote evidence-based funding decisions. By giving evaluators access to a dedicated semantic
platform, where information about similar grants that have already been funded can be retrieved,
the project contributes to more evidence-based funding decisions. More specifically, it aims to
reduce fraud and duplication of research, help increase the quality and originality of publicly funded
research and innovation projects, and facilitate the sharing of data related to public funding of
research in Europe.
A first demonstration phase will be running over 2018, before possible full deployment in 2019-2020.
Future users of the semantic platform will be involved from the start of the project i.e. in the design
phase. The project will be located in the Competence Centre for text mining of the JRC (Joint
Research Centre of the European Commission) and funded by the ISA² programme of the
Directorate-General DIGIT of the Commission.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE