On 23 and 24 October 2019 the Marie Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) on European Trade and Investment Policy (EUTIP) delivered its 6th Advanced Training Course (ATC6) on “Developing impact: from academic research to policy change on EU trade and investment” at the Greater Birmingham West Midlands Brussels Office (University of Birmingham Eurohub). The event was organised by the Erasmus University of Rotterdam (EUR). EUTIP is coordinated by Professor Martin Trybus, Director of the Institute of European Law at the University of Birmingham.
In the first part of the course “From research to policy advising” Professor Fabian Amtenbrink (EUR), Director of Training and ATC6 host, briefly explained the objectives of the course, followed by a presentation on “Dissemination and outreach in EUTIP” by Martin Trybus and Professor Lionel Fontagné (University of Paris Sorbonne), Lead for the EUTIP Work Package for Dissemination. This was followed by a presentation on” How to write a policy brief part I: the user perspective & a reflection on the role of think-tanks and academia” by Professor Sven Biscop, Professor at the Ghent Institute for International Studies (GIIS), Ghent University and Director of the Europe in the World Programme at the Egmont – Royal Institute for International Relations Brussels. The morning was completed by a session on “How to write a policy brief part II: discussion and debate”, led by Sven Biscop.
The second part of the course on “Dissemination and Impact - Theory and Practice” started with a feedback session on draft/concept policy brief submitted by the EUTIP Early Stage Researchers with Professor Steven Blockmans, Professor of EU External Relations Law and Governance, University of Amsterdam. Head of Institutional Affairs, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Jean-Baptiste Velut, Associate Professor in American Studies at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University of Paris and External Expert of EUTIP, Amanda Borra, Senior Advisor for Security and Defense Affairs at IDA Group, Fabian Amtenbrink, and Martin Trybus. Later, Martin Trybus moderated a “Roundtable Dissemination & Impact” with Lionel Fontagné, Centre d’Etudes Prospectives et d’informations Internationales (CEPII) and Centre for International Research and Economic Modelling (CIREM), Paris; Steven Blockmans, CEPS; Benedikt Wiedenhofer, BusinessEurope, Brussels; and Amanda Borra, Senior Advisor for Security and Defense Affairs at IDA Group, Brussels.
The third part of the course on “Embedding impact in research design and in research proposals” consisted of two presentations, namely “The essentials of writing a research proposal with impact” by Maria Sperling, Senior Project Office, T.M.C. Asser Instituut and “Combining quality and relevance in research design – pitfalls and tricks” by Sarah de Rijcke, Professor of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Leiden University, Director of the Centre for Science and Technology (CWTS). CEPS, the T.M.C. Asser Institute and Business Europe are also EUTIP Partner Organisations hosting EUTIP Early Stage Researchers on secondments.