Strengthening the Jean Monnet Community

Jean Monnet Actions (JMA) were estab­lished in 1989 to foster global excel­lence in research and teaching relating to EU studies. The programme, which has a history of over 30 years of knowledge creation, provides great added value at the European level and encou­ra­ges many thousands of acti­vi­ties related to teaching and learning about European inte­gra­ti­on and the European Union. In 2019, the scheme’s 30-year anni­ver­sa­ry, the JMA cele­bra­ted a number of accom­plish­ments and reviewed a number of positive impacts and outcomes resulting from the 5,000 projects it has sponsored thus far.

While the work in JMA is flou­ris­hing needs for com­mu­ni­ca­ti­on and exchange – among bene­fi­ci­a­ries and between them and the European Commission – are growing and changing in tact with the estab­lish­ment of new digital platforms. The goal of this assign­ment is therefore to assess the current state of community enga­ge­ment within the JMA and propose a concept for an improved Jean Monnet community. This will involve examining existing community practices and drawing on wider community building best practices. The assign­ment will provide recom­men­da­ti­ons for the future Jean Monnet community, which could involve either enhancing existing com­mu­ni­ties or proposing a new one for JMA bene­fi­ci­a­ries. This will also outline proposals for a user-friendly platform, enabling bene­fi­ci­a­ries to share their research and connect with others in the community. The project is conducted by Ecorys in coope­ra­ti­on with 3s.