The Aspiration towards Centrality in the European Research Area: The European Interest in Bringing the Southern Neighbourhood into the Picture
The Aspiration towards Centrality in the European Research Area: The European Interest in Bringing the Southern Neighbourhood into the Picture

Summary/Abstract: This article examines how research cooperation serves the goals of the European Southern Neighbourhood Policy and the European Research Area, through the lens of motivations and pursuits of Europebased project managers. Following insight obtained from fifteen semi-structured interviews with the project managers funded by EU Framework Programmes, this article outlines that many Europe-based project coordinators welcomed Moroccan and Tunisian institutions to the consortia because this would enhance their position of centrality and point of expertise intersections in the European Research Area. Narrative analysis guides multifaceted conclusions. Agency strategies pursued through a scientific focus on the projects serve the overall goals of the European Research Area and the Southern Neighbourhood Policy. European project coordinators function as enablers of the EU structural diplomacy. The science diplomacy considerations are secondary and not unified across the examined projects.

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