The optimal way to improve research systems, to fix problems in research culture and reach the principles of the new European Research Area (ERA) is through evidence-based meta-research. Research and Innovation (R&I) policies have shaped to a great extent the progress of science and technology. The choice of the allocation of resources towards achieving optimal results is a key policy issue for all countries, especially with the financial crisis of the last decade. Therefore, systematic meta-research should be carried out to better understand the surrounding environment and improve the efficiency of R&I policy. Two critical steps to that direction are a) the establishment of metrics that reflect more accurately the R&I performance and impact of scientists and innovators coupled with b) a broader approach in measuring all types of impact that R&I policies create including societal ones. This task becomes yet more complicated given the new developments in R&I dynamics and the ways R&I output is disseminated and communicated. The adoption of the new Pact and Governance for the European Research Area (ERA)1 that includes a new regime for open science endorsed by all EU27 competent ministers for R&I, the need for research integrity and a common set of principles and values to reaffirm solid foundations of R&I (ethics, freedom of scientific research, gender equality and equal opportunities), the increased free circulation of researchers, innovators and knowledge, the cultural distance of R&I consortia and the engagement of citizens in science and innovation and regional convergence in R&I capacity are areas that need rigorous attention. Also, the determinants of R&I productivity, the role and efficiency of R&I funding and both experimental approaches and theoretical economic models that can enable better understanding of the interactions of different actors in a R&I ecosystem are of utmost importance.

The Twinning for Excellence in Management and Economics of Research and Innovation (TWIN4MERIT) project aims to examine these meta-research areas of critical importance by facilitating a partnership with two advanced partners in the field in order to advance all related research activities at the University of Cyprus (UCY).