Participation of State Officials in the GUIDE General Assembly

The GUIDE (Growing Up in Digital Europe: EuroCohort) General Assembly was held on 27 March 2026. Although the GUIDE study will primarily be implemented by scholars and research institutions, the involvement of public authorities and research funding bodies is essential at this stage. Their engagement is crucial for shaping the future of GUIDE, as it helps ensure that the governance structure aligns with national expectations and that the necessary political and financial instruments are in place to support the study’s long-term sustainability.

The GUIDE General Assembly was attended by 38 participants, including not only representatives of the consortium’s partner institutions but also state officials. Salvatore Cacasso from Italy and Marion Binder from Germany confirmed their countries’ interest in the GUIDE study and their willingness to cooperate. The participation of state representatives in the GUIDE General Assembly was particularly important, as the meeting focused on the development of the research infrastructure, including the legal status of GUIDE and the participation fees for individual countries. Looking ahead, officials from countries participating in the GUIDE consortium will be responsible for decisions on funding data collection at the national level, as well as for joint decisions to support the implementation of the study. For these reasons, the involvement of national authorities in GUIDE meetings is already essential at this stage, while the research infrastructure is still being developed.

As only two countries were represented by state officials at the GUIDE General Assembly, it appears that officials from other countries may have been reluctant to participate, possibly due to concerns that attendance could be interpreted as a signal of political or financial commitment. To address this, GUIDE partners will continue to emphasise that participation in GUIDE meetings does not entail any formal obligations. At the same time, the presence of government officials would greatly support open discussion and constructive dialogue, enhance understanding of national perspectives, and provide valuable input into the strategic development of the GUIDE research infrastructure.

National scholars have been working for years to establish the first comparative European cohort study on the well-being of children and young people from birth to age 24. However, progressing towards ERIC status now requires the active involvement of representatives from all member states of the consortium. The GUIDE consortium will prepare an application for inclusion in ERIC, the European Research Infrastructure Consortium. While the decision to grant ERIC status will be made by the European Commission, the application must be formally supported and signed by national authorities. ERIC is a specific legal framework designed to facilitate the establishment and operation of research infrastructures of European significance.

This initiative is implemented within the framework of ERDF project No 1.1.1.5/3/24/I/003 "Support for the Participation of Daugavpils University in the Horizon Europe programme".