The objective of IConnectEU is therefore to create a generic infrastructure for joint dissemination activities across thematically related projects, consisting of a software platform, a reference model for integrated dissemination, and guidelines on how to implement the infrastructure in different domains. The IConnectEU infrastructure creates a layer of access to thematically related research which is positioned at an intermediate level between the CORDIS database holding all EU funded research and the individual projects’ web sites. By defining this layer from a thematic perspective rather by formal criteria, IConnectEU seeks to define a topical broadness which is adequate for a user’s information need and which reduces the efforts for accessing the needed information in comparison to existing systems.

Eight projects funded in the 6th Framework Programme under Priority 7 “Citizens and governance in a Knowledge-based society” and dealing with the broad topic of Governance in the EU serve as a use case for creating a pilot portal which integrates their currently unconnected dissemination activities. The portal is available at www.iconnecteu.org and includes a thematically organized catalogue with the actors, activities and results of the projects. This includes information about the participating institutes and researchers, their activities (e.g. workshops and conferences), and their results (e.g. publications, databases, statistical data etc.). All information is interconnected and interlinked, supporting navigation and browsing across all projects and types of information.

For including your thematically related project into IConnectEU please contact:
Maximilian Stempfhuber
GESIS-IZ Social Science Information Centre
Lennéstr. 30, 53113 Bonn, Germany
max.stempfhuber@gesis.org

Topics of the workshop in October will be:

- Discussion on the IConnectEU infrastructure

Is the IConnectEU infrastructure suitable for other projects? Are they willing to use the portal for dissemination? Are types of project results missing? What is good, what should be improved? Missing features? Is the topic “Governance & Citizenship” right, too broad, too narrow? Should there be (sub-)portals for other topics (which)? Should there be a connection between different sub-portals?

- Integrating the ERA: The role of research (outcomes) for policy making and trans-national research

- Future Perspectives of IConnectEU