LIAISE

Impact Assessment (IA) has the potential for delivering more sustainable development as well as
enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of decision making. Policies aiming at sustainable
development need a solid foundation trough IA using a variety of IA tools. However, existing research
points out that the full potential of IA is not being realised. Many tools to support IA have been
developed, but are not yet being fully employed by policy makers. These missed opportunities are
symptomatic of a large and deep gap between the two broad communities of IA researchers and IA
practitioners. Practitioners tend to look for tools that are simple and transparent while the researchers
are more interested in the sophistication and innovative aspects of assessment tools. The main purpose
of LIAISE is to identify and exploit opportunities to bridge between these two communities in a way that
leads to an enhanced use of IA tools in policy making. Its centrepiece will be a shared toolbox –
simultaneously accessible and useful for policy makers as well as for the research community. The
LIAISE consortium will:
· Unite the multi-disciplinary competences of a core of large European institutes, that in turn
consolidate the expertise from large FP6 projects such as SEAMLESS, SENSOR, MATISSE,
Sustainability A Test, IQ Tools and EVIA;
· Combine researchers that analyse current policy needs and link them in innovative ways (i.e.
targeted, co-designed and co-produced IA ‘test cases’) to those who maintain existing and are
presently improving existing and developing new tools;
· Develop a roadmap towards a virtual centre of excellence on IA, that can operate as the durable
hub of existing academic and practitioner networks relevant to the themes of the NoE;
· Maintain the flexibility to support ‘real life’ IA processes, informed by a structured dialogue with
the IA user community, represented by a high level Policy Advisory Board;
· Develop a business plan to ensure durable operation, scientific credibility and efficient usability of
the shared toolbox, also in the post-project period.